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Scar Me (Haunted Roads #2)
Scar Me (Haunted Roads #2)
India R Adams | 2018 | Contemporary
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Scar Me (Haunted Roads #2) by India R. Adams
Scar Me is the second book in the Haunted Road series, and believe you me, it has a lot to live up to. Steal Me, the first book in the series had me throwing my kindle at the wall when it finished. Would, and could, this one possibly live up to its predecessor?

Abso-bloomin-lutely it can!!! It starts exactly where Steal Me ends, but then we proceed to go back in time. Back to a time when Lilah wasn't shattered from her experiences. Back to when she thought the world, and people, were good. We stay with her as she makes the decisions and choices that lead her down her haunted road. We are there for the trauma inflicted upon her. We are there as she shuts down - only this time we know the reasons for it.

Scar Me has a warning about triggers - and trust me, it is well deserved. In so many ways, this book is horrible. It gives you the truth that you might not want to admit to. It shows you how so many people don't see, simply because they don't expect to! And yet this is about hope too. You get to fall in love with a gentleman all over again, seeing him through Lilah's eyes this time. I love Viola's definition of 'scar me', and have no shame in admitting that brought a tear to my eye. There are a multitude of characters introduced in this book, that showed up in Steal Me, but you just didn't 'see' them. Now you will, and find out their back stories too.

Now, fair warning, this book ends on just as much of a cliffhanger as the previous one. However, I am wise to Ms. Adams' tricks now, so I didn't throw my kindle this time. I am left deliciously confused, and yet not surprised, at her twist. This only leaves me wanting more.

Do I recommend this book? Don't be daft, it's an India R. Adams book. Of course I recommend it. I haven't read a bad one of hers yet, and I honestly doubt I will. This is an author that gives you a piece of her heart and soul with every book she publishes. Was it worth the wait? Once again, absolutely. That doesn't change the fact that #INeedBleedMe NOW!!!! ??

* 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!
  
Drop Dead Gorgeous (Return to Fear Street #3)
Drop Dead Gorgeous (Return to Fear Street #3)
R.L. Stine | 2019 | Horror, Young Adult (YA)
6
7.2 (5 Ratings)
Book Rating
Great pacing (1 more)
Interesting plot
Cheesy Characters (1 more)
Not enough backstory
Cheesy but an Alright Read
I grew up reading R.L. Stine books especially his Fear Street series. When I heard there was going to be a new Fear Street series, I knew I had to read it. I loved the first book in the series, You May Now Kill the Bride. I was not impressed with the second book in the series, The Wrong Girl. I thought the latest book in the series, Drop Dead Gorgeous, was just an alright read.

The plot for Drop Dead Gorgeous was fairly interesting. Morgan Marks is the new girl at Linden High. No one knows where she came from, and her answers to everything are vague. She has a magnetic pull over all of the males in and around Linden. When I found out that Morgan was a vampire (not a spoiler, don't worry), I rolled my eyes and thought I wouldn't like this book. I'm not a big fan of vampire books (or films) since they've over-saturated the market. However, Drop Dead Gorgeous turned out to be alright. Anyway, someone is killing off the residents of Linden and draining their blood. Is it Morgan or could be be someone else? The world building was written to be believable enough even if some of the characters weren't believable. There were a few plot twists. A couple of them I didn't see coming, but I did predict a major plot twist.

All of the males in Drop Dead Gorgeous were beyond annoying and immature. All they could talk about were hot girls it seemed. They were really one dimensional, and I found myself not caring about Liam, Winks, and Zane. They would all brag how great they were, especially Winks. I'm sure there are some people like this, but I felt like it was a bit over the top having all three males in the book being so vapid and conceited. The females in Drop Dead Gorgeous had a little more depth to them thankfully. I still didn't care much about Delia, Amber, or Julie because there was no back story, so it was hard to connect to them. Out of the three girls, Delia seemed to feel the most real. Morgan was a good character. I enjoyed her backstory even if it was short, but hey, at least she had some backstory. The dialogue between the characters was extremely corny in some places, and I know I haven't been a teenager in many years, but I've never heard any teenage conversations like the ones in Drop Dead Gorgeous.

I will say that the pacing was done fairly well for Drop Dead Gorgeous. The first few chapters are a bit slow, but the pacing definitely picks up not much longer after that. I found myself immersed in what was happening in Linden.

Trigger warnings for Drop Dead Gorgeous include violence, death, murder, some gore, older man and underage girl kissing, and underage drinking.

Overall, Drop Dead Gorgeous was just an alright read. It wasn't great, but it wasn't a bad read either. If you can look past the overly cheesy characters, this is a good read. I would definitely recommend Drop Dead Gorgeous by R.L. Stine to those aged 15+.
  
My Dad Wrote A Porno
My Dad Wrote A Porno
Comedy
10
8.5 (24 Ratings)
Podcast Rating
Absolutely hilarious
Podcasts aren't usually my thing, however working from home full time has made me go insane listening to my usual music and radio shows. A few of my friends have recommended this podcast on numerous occasions so thought I'd give something different a go... now I'm just mega peeved that I hadn't started listening to this sooner!

This is possibly the funniest thing I've ever heard. Let's be honest, this isn't for the faint hearted or those easily offended as it's pretty explicit, but boy is it laugh out loud hilarious. The funniest thing is the fact that this is actually a real book series written by Jamie Morton's dad (aka Rocky Flintstone) and that this hasn't just been written to make fun. His writing style is bonkers and the way it moves from mundane description to ridiculous and completely unappealing porn scenarios is so bizarre. And then listening to this book being narrated by Jamie just adds to the laughs. Listening to his, Alice Levine's and James Cooper's commentary feels like you're sat in a room with friends listening and chatting about it in person. They pick on every grammatical error and plot hole, and not to mention the ridiculous scenarios and inept sales work.

Can't fault this at all, it's downright hilarious and I'll be very sad if/when I get to the last episode.
  
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LeftSideCut (3776 KP) Jul 21, 2020

Best podcast ever!

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Merissa (13346 KP) rated Troublemaker (Songbird #6) in Books

Dec 17, 2018 (Updated May 20, 2023)  
Troublemaker (Songbird #6)
Troublemaker (Songbird #6)
Melissa Pearl | 2016 | Contemporary, Romance
8
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
This is Marcus' story and tells how he has been in love with Kelly since High School. To be honest, I couldn't understand the whys and wherefores of Marcus' love for her, as she seemed to be a real snippety madam to me. However, the joy of Melissa Pearl's writing is when she takes a character and turns them around, and you end up cheering them on. This is what happened to me with Kelly.

This is a quick, fun, and also introspective book. Kelly has to figure out if she is prepared to act for who she is and work for what she wants, or if she is going to be an empty figurehead. This is not as easy as it sounds, and she definitely has her work cut out for her.

With characters that are both lovely and others that are instantly dislikeable, this story is fast-paced and smooth. Well written, with no grammatical or editing errors that I found, this was a delight to read and a wonderful addition to the Songbird series. Definitely recommended.

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

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jan 31, 2016
  
***The first book in a bestselling new serial killer series***

Holly Wakefield works for the NHS as a criminal psychologist specialising in serial killers. She has particular reason to be good at her job - but she keeps that to herself.
When DI Bishop from the Met Police approaches Holly to investigate a recent killing, Holly is horrified by the dismembered bodies and the way they have been theatrically positioned. More shocking still is when the pathologist reveals this is not the first time she has seen these mutilations. It means a serial killer is out there, and they're going to kill again - soon.
Holly is used to chasing serial killers. But this killer has something in common with Holly that she's kept hidden for as long as she can remember. And for the first time since she was a child, Holly is forced to face the darkness of her past...

The first thriller in a gritty and gripping new crime series starring forensic psychologist Holly Wakefield.

This is a great début novel from this author and I am already wanting to read the next one!
When Darkness Calls is a serial killer book told from the point of view of the Criminal Psychologist Holly Wakefield; which is a nice change.
This is a really gripping page turner of a story.
I really liked the 2 main characters of Holly and Bishop; they were totally believable and can't wait to see how they develop.
I love the fact the author touched on the dark and gritty and wasn't afraid to go there as it helps set the tone of the novel.
This book has lots of twists and turns and will keep you hooked throughout.
I thoroughly enjoyed this and will be reading more from this author.
Highly Recommend!!

Thanks to Little Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book. This is my honest voluntary review.
  
F(
Flight (The Crescent Chronicles, #1)
5
5.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
2.5 stars.

This book has been taunting me on Amazon since its release. The cover really grabbed my attention but with how many books I already had to read I just ignored it for a long time. However, yesterday, I remembered the gift card I got for my birthday and decided to buy it.

I don't know what it was but I didn't easily gel with the story. It started fairly good but then with the use of a lot of talking between the characters and not much description--which strangely for me, considering i'm not normally a fan of lots of description, I actually wanted--and I feel it wasn't as good as I was expecting. I guess by the cover that I was expecting something quite sexy and it just wasn't. Not for me, anyway.

At the same time I kinda want to smack Allie. For many reasons. One: her not wanting to get involved with anyone but then giving into him so easily despite all her protests. Two: her acceptance of Levi and his friends so easily was just strange. Surely you'd run off screaming? And three: her behaviour at the end. Okay, it wasn't unfounded. He didn't explain himself before doing what he did but at the same time, she didn't want to hear anything he had to say, so what was he supposed to do?

Not sure yet if I'll be continuing the series or not.
  
Tilt-a-Whirl: John Ceepak, Book 1
Tilt-a-Whirl: John Ceepak, Book 1
Chris Grabenstein | 2005 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Pretty hilarious but requires a bit of sensitivity
I thoroughly enjoyed this Cabot Cove style detective story, especially for a first book right up until the last 20 mins where the author could have handled the actual tragic circumstance with a little more sensitivity and not brush it off as just part of an investigation.

The narrator, who poses as the 24-year-old sidekick is brilliant, his antics and hilarious commentary kept the entire plot together at a wonderful pace. Unfortunately, when the story turns dark and serious, the tone didn't change and it almost seemed to be a mockery of a very disturbing situation. The plot twist in the end, however, was a good day to go. I would definitely read more in this series mostly because of the comedic aspect.
  
This was a wonderful book! Ever since Wren was introduced I had been eagerly anticipating his addition (along with many more who we haven't heard from yet! grr! :P), and I was not disappointed! I really enjoyed the relationship between Wren and Maggie; their story was sweet and spicy. I did miss some of the Dark-Hunter aspects, especially Simi and Ash, but it's nice to have a break from the DH storyline every now and then. Especially when Ms. Kenyon has barely broken into the Were-Hunter part of her world. Anyway, as I said before (well, sorta), Wren and Maggie were great and in a way, they seemed more realistic than some of the other couples, more-so with Maggie. Another awesome book in this thrilling series! :)
  
The Affacombe Affair (Pollard and Toyne #2)
The Affacombe Affair (Pollard and Toyne #2)
Elizabeth Lemarchand | 2018 | Crime, Mystery
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
A great, old-fashioned, cosy mystery!
I have really enjoyed the first two books in this republished series - I honestly didn’t expect to. It’s such a nice, comfortable read though. The storyline nicely plays out (well, as nicely as a murder can!), the characters are all very likeable (especially Pollard and Toyne), and the way they go about their investigations is really rather interesting. This is not a story set in modern time - it’s set in the 1960s, so before DNA testing and all of the technology that we have today. So the story hangs on old fashioned humans using their brains and experience to work it out. I like these stories a lot, and I’m very glad that Sapere books sent me a copy to read and honestly review!
  
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Rache (174 KP) rated Netflix in Apps

Dec 4, 2018  
Netflix
Netflix
Entertainment, Lifestyle
9
8.7 (588 Ratings)
App Rating
Great shows (2 more)
Simple user interface
Cross-platform synchronicity
Occasional glitches (but usually fairly quickly rectified) (0 more)
Almost...
At the cheapest level, this is a cheap way to watch the kinds of series/films you want to watch without adverts or waiting. Having created the entirely new concept of "binge watching", Netflix have made it easier to watch on your PC, laptop, tablet or mobile phone, moving from one to the next almost seamlessly. As a citizen of the UK, this is a great alternative to having to pay a license fee to not watch 99% of the available programming. Particularly as the license fee is now over double the cheapest Netflix subscription.
The regular addition of new shows means there's always something to watch, although it should be remembered that they do also remove shows, sometimes.