Search
Search results
Cardiograph
Health & Fitness and Medical
App
Cardiograph is a fast and reliable way to measure your heart rate on iPhone and iPad. Using only...
The Twelfth Card (Lincoln Rhyme #6)
9.0
Rate It
Book
A high-school girl in Harlem, Geneva Settle, is the target of a ruthless professional...
Fantastiqa
9.0
Rate It
Tabletop Game
Welcome to the wild, weird world of FANTASTIQA! Fantastiqa is a deck-building board game set in a...
Final Challenge
7.0
Rate It
Tabletop Game
Final Challenge is a party game so packed with action it does not have to pose as a drinking game!...
Night Reader Reviews (683 KP) rated Holding Out for a Hero (Jelvia: Not Human #1) in Books
Jan 9, 2020
Honest Review for Free Copy of Book
WARNING: FOR READERS 18 YEARS OLD AND OLDER ONLY!
Normally I would put who I believe the target readers are at the end of my review, but because of the genre of this book things are going to be a little different. The target readers for this book are adults, 18 years old and older. This book is labeled as an erotica. There are vivid sex scenes with mild bondage and kinky play throughout this book. You have been warned.
Jelvia Not Human 1: Holding Out for a Hero by T. E. Kessler was originally published under the author name of L. Wise and with a different cover. Most erotica fantasy books use vampires or werewolves as a main character type but this book introduced is an entirely new race, the Jelvia. From reading this book I have learned that they are similar to humans and appearance, only they are significantly taller. I don't want to give away too much about who or what they are as I enjoyed learning about them during the book.
Macy, a journalist for a newspaper called the London Echo, lives with her friend Courtney. One night Courtney is attacked by a group of guys outside of a store. Suddenly her attack flee and Courtney find herself face to face with a Jelvia. Now Macy's sets out to prove that Jelvias are not the dangerous threat to mankind that everyone seems to think they are. After William, the owner of the paper Macy works for, sees a video of Macy speaking to a Jelvia he invite her to work directly for him. He has this idea of a special team for a paper that will report the truth on Jelvias all of the fear inducing media hype other papers publish.
As it turns out William is not exactly who he says he is. He askes Macy to get close to a Jelvia to get information from him. As it turns out the Jelvia, named Narcifer, has received the same orders in regards to Macy. Things get even more complicated when Macy and Narcifer fall for each other and realize that both of their bosses are using them. The two races do not approve of or trust the other, so now it is up to Macy and Narcifer decide if their love is worth everything they may lose. Can they approve to humans that the Jelvia are not as dangerous as they are made out to be? Can they prove to the Jelvias that look down on humans that humans are not just wheat creatures that are in the way or a danger to their own race?
What I liked best about this book is that it stayed true to the erotica style. Many erotica books tend to fall too much toward the side of a mushy romance instead. It also contained a strong storyline that remained interesting. The sex, while it was consistent, was not the main focus of the story and was appropriate in its timing. What I liked least about the book is actually a common complaint of mine. Parts of the story were repeated multiple times as information was spread from one person to another. To me this starts to make a book drag and I find myself wanting to skim over paragraphs or even pages at a time.
Overall I rate this book a 3 out of 4. It is hard to find an erotica book that bounces the sex and story well. This book is very well balanced and the plot was strong. Only reason why it got a 3 instead of a 4 was because of it being repetitive. I do look forward to reading more of this series as it becomes available and hope that I have a chance to review the rest of the books. I am very interested and where Macy's relationship will lead and if humans and Jelvia ever become mostly tolerant of each other.
https://www.facebook.com/nightreaderreviews
Normally I would put who I believe the target readers are at the end of my review, but because of the genre of this book things are going to be a little different. The target readers for this book are adults, 18 years old and older. This book is labeled as an erotica. There are vivid sex scenes with mild bondage and kinky play throughout this book. You have been warned.
Jelvia Not Human 1: Holding Out for a Hero by T. E. Kessler was originally published under the author name of L. Wise and with a different cover. Most erotica fantasy books use vampires or werewolves as a main character type but this book introduced is an entirely new race, the Jelvia. From reading this book I have learned that they are similar to humans and appearance, only they are significantly taller. I don't want to give away too much about who or what they are as I enjoyed learning about them during the book.
Macy, a journalist for a newspaper called the London Echo, lives with her friend Courtney. One night Courtney is attacked by a group of guys outside of a store. Suddenly her attack flee and Courtney find herself face to face with a Jelvia. Now Macy's sets out to prove that Jelvias are not the dangerous threat to mankind that everyone seems to think they are. After William, the owner of the paper Macy works for, sees a video of Macy speaking to a Jelvia he invite her to work directly for him. He has this idea of a special team for a paper that will report the truth on Jelvias all of the fear inducing media hype other papers publish.
As it turns out William is not exactly who he says he is. He askes Macy to get close to a Jelvia to get information from him. As it turns out the Jelvia, named Narcifer, has received the same orders in regards to Macy. Things get even more complicated when Macy and Narcifer fall for each other and realize that both of their bosses are using them. The two races do not approve of or trust the other, so now it is up to Macy and Narcifer decide if their love is worth everything they may lose. Can they approve to humans that the Jelvia are not as dangerous as they are made out to be? Can they prove to the Jelvias that look down on humans that humans are not just wheat creatures that are in the way or a danger to their own race?
What I liked best about this book is that it stayed true to the erotica style. Many erotica books tend to fall too much toward the side of a mushy romance instead. It also contained a strong storyline that remained interesting. The sex, while it was consistent, was not the main focus of the story and was appropriate in its timing. What I liked least about the book is actually a common complaint of mine. Parts of the story were repeated multiple times as information was spread from one person to another. To me this starts to make a book drag and I find myself wanting to skim over paragraphs or even pages at a time.
Overall I rate this book a 3 out of 4. It is hard to find an erotica book that bounces the sex and story well. This book is very well balanced and the plot was strong. Only reason why it got a 3 instead of a 4 was because of it being repetitive. I do look forward to reading more of this series as it becomes available and hope that I have a chance to review the rest of the books. I am very interested and where Macy's relationship will lead and if humans and Jelvia ever become mostly tolerant of each other.
https://www.facebook.com/nightreaderreviews
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated Marionette (Dark Carousel #3) in Books
Nov 15, 2020
I have definitely taken a shine to the Dark Carousel series by Anya Allyn. There's something about it that has definitely reeled me in. As soon as I finished reading Paper Dolls, I dove right into reading Marionette, the third book in the Dark Carousel series. This one definitely had a lot of action going on!
Cassie and Molly are prisoners in Balthazar's castle as its inhabitants try to find the second book of The Mirrored Tree. Cassie and Molly desperately search for a way to leave the castle so she can be reunited with her family and with Ethan. However, things take a turn for the worst when Cassie learns her fate of which she can not escape if she wants to save her world and all of its occupants.
I find that the plot of each book in the Dark Carousel series gets weirder and weirder. The plot in Marionette so much different to the one that first started it all in Dollhouse. However, Marionette was a fast paced read, in fact, in some parts, it was a little too fast paced. There were times I was left feeling confused about what was going on. Luckily, that only happened a few times, and the rest of the plot felt solid. Marionette was quite a page turner, and I kept wanting to know what would happen next. Marionette definitely has more action in it than Paper Dolls did. It seemed like there was always something happening in Marionette. This book focused more on Cassie and somewhat on Ethan. We learn more about the different worlds (which has me confused) and more about the ice world which Cassie is from. We also learn more about Zack, Viola, Emerson, and Parker as well as the castle itself. I do wish the worlds weren't as confusing. It's hard to keep up with all the different worlds and what happens when you see your copy on that world. I wish it was better explained or that there was some kind of appendix or something in the book to help explain it. I also don't understand why the bad people need Molly. I sort of understand why they want Cassie, but I don't see what use Molly is to them as she has no powers or anything of the sort. There were a few plot twists that I didn't see coming. This book didn't really end in a cliffhanger, but I will still read the last book in the series to complete the story.
As always, Anya Allyn did a fantastic job with her characters. Cassie puts up a good fight and tries to protect everyone. I was really routing for her throughout Marionette. Molly is written well, but I feel like she's sort of a useless character. I wish I knew more about why Aisha decided to just give in to the Batistes, so more backstory there would have been nice. I am hoping there will be more backstory on Lacey as well so I can know why she sometimes speaks in third person. I know it was sort of explained that she went crazy after everything went down at the end of Dollhouse, but I'd like to know a bit more. Perhaps all of these things will be explained in the last book of the series. One character I felt bad for was Zack. I felt like he was sort of a prisoner in all of this too, yet he's very protective and sweet towards Cassie. I get why Cassie was angry at him, but he had no choice. I really wished Cassie was a bit nicer towards him in the book. I was saddened that there was hardly any Jessamine in Marionette. Jessamine is my favorite character, yet she's only in the book for the beginning for a little bit. I'm hoping she'll be featured more in the next book.
Trigger warnings for Marionette include death, murder, rape and attempted rape of a minor (not graphic), mentions of sex (not graphic), the occult, violence, alcohol, and imprisonment.
Despite the fast pacing in places, Marionette is still a great read. With great characters and lots of action, this book definitely holds one's attention throughout. I would definitely recommend Marionette by Anya Allyn to those aged 16+ who like a bit of science fiction with their supernatural horror. Now on to the next and final book in the Dark Carousel series entitled Music Box.
Cassie and Molly are prisoners in Balthazar's castle as its inhabitants try to find the second book of The Mirrored Tree. Cassie and Molly desperately search for a way to leave the castle so she can be reunited with her family and with Ethan. However, things take a turn for the worst when Cassie learns her fate of which she can not escape if she wants to save her world and all of its occupants.
I find that the plot of each book in the Dark Carousel series gets weirder and weirder. The plot in Marionette so much different to the one that first started it all in Dollhouse. However, Marionette was a fast paced read, in fact, in some parts, it was a little too fast paced. There were times I was left feeling confused about what was going on. Luckily, that only happened a few times, and the rest of the plot felt solid. Marionette was quite a page turner, and I kept wanting to know what would happen next. Marionette definitely has more action in it than Paper Dolls did. It seemed like there was always something happening in Marionette. This book focused more on Cassie and somewhat on Ethan. We learn more about the different worlds (which has me confused) and more about the ice world which Cassie is from. We also learn more about Zack, Viola, Emerson, and Parker as well as the castle itself. I do wish the worlds weren't as confusing. It's hard to keep up with all the different worlds and what happens when you see your copy on that world. I wish it was better explained or that there was some kind of appendix or something in the book to help explain it. I also don't understand why the bad people need Molly. I sort of understand why they want Cassie, but I don't see what use Molly is to them as she has no powers or anything of the sort. There were a few plot twists that I didn't see coming. This book didn't really end in a cliffhanger, but I will still read the last book in the series to complete the story.
As always, Anya Allyn did a fantastic job with her characters. Cassie puts up a good fight and tries to protect everyone. I was really routing for her throughout Marionette. Molly is written well, but I feel like she's sort of a useless character. I wish I knew more about why Aisha decided to just give in to the Batistes, so more backstory there would have been nice. I am hoping there will be more backstory on Lacey as well so I can know why she sometimes speaks in third person. I know it was sort of explained that she went crazy after everything went down at the end of Dollhouse, but I'd like to know a bit more. Perhaps all of these things will be explained in the last book of the series. One character I felt bad for was Zack. I felt like he was sort of a prisoner in all of this too, yet he's very protective and sweet towards Cassie. I get why Cassie was angry at him, but he had no choice. I really wished Cassie was a bit nicer towards him in the book. I was saddened that there was hardly any Jessamine in Marionette. Jessamine is my favorite character, yet she's only in the book for the beginning for a little bit. I'm hoping she'll be featured more in the next book.
Trigger warnings for Marionette include death, murder, rape and attempted rape of a minor (not graphic), mentions of sex (not graphic), the occult, violence, alcohol, and imprisonment.
Despite the fast pacing in places, Marionette is still a great read. With great characters and lots of action, this book definitely holds one's attention throughout. I would definitely recommend Marionette by Anya Allyn to those aged 16+ who like a bit of science fiction with their supernatural horror. Now on to the next and final book in the Dark Carousel series entitled Music Box.
Ross (3284 KP) rated The Siege of Abythos in Books
Nov 7, 2017
Poetry battle (2 more)
Poetry battle
Poetry battle
The third instalment in the Chronicles of the Black Gate series is the biggest yet, in terms of page count. The story follows the same PoV characters as previous books but their adventures are now covering so much more of the world and the storyline is becoming quite entangled.
Tharok's attempts to unite the orc-like kragh tribes and invade the human world continue, meanwhile Lady Iskra seeks to rescue her son and take revenge on the Ascendant's empire.
This book covers a lot more political debate and intrigue than the previous two, with prolonged discussion of who should be invaded, and what should be done thereafter. While this is very much a necessity in such an epic tale I felt it was somewhat laboured at times.
I very nearly gave up on this book at one point - where the portly magister Audsley (who has three demons lurking in his soul) was seeking to inveigle his way into the upper echelons of the empire, most of this storytelling centred around the colour of robes to wear, the type and colour of paper to use in sending letters and reciting poetry. Again this was very much laboured but bearable, until it looked like we were heading for what can only be described as a poetry battle, where Audsley (coached by one of his demons) was set to take on a senior government official's poetry representative in a battle of wits to see how would curry favour in the empire.
That's right: a poetry battle.
Think Philip Larkin in 8 Mile.
Will the real Slim Shakespeare please stand up.
Kanye Wordsworth.
NWA (Novelists with Assonance)
At this point I very nearly gave up. Thankfully, so did Audsley and the contest ended abruptly as he refused to let his demon take control of him. Phew. Disaster avoided. If this had been allowed to continue it would have made Tom Bombadil look like a critical plot point.
Other than Audsley's chapters (which in the previous book had been a highlight) the book does roll along at a reasonable pace and there is just about enough action to keep the interest, particularly in the last 100 or so pages.
All in all, a good read and a turning point for the series as a whole, but a lot of nonsense could have been removed, (Edgar Allan) Poe Shizzle.
Tharok's attempts to unite the orc-like kragh tribes and invade the human world continue, meanwhile Lady Iskra seeks to rescue her son and take revenge on the Ascendant's empire.
This book covers a lot more political debate and intrigue than the previous two, with prolonged discussion of who should be invaded, and what should be done thereafter. While this is very much a necessity in such an epic tale I felt it was somewhat laboured at times.
I very nearly gave up on this book at one point - where the portly magister Audsley (who has three demons lurking in his soul) was seeking to inveigle his way into the upper echelons of the empire, most of this storytelling centred around the colour of robes to wear, the type and colour of paper to use in sending letters and reciting poetry. Again this was very much laboured but bearable, until it looked like we were heading for what can only be described as a poetry battle, where Audsley (coached by one of his demons) was set to take on a senior government official's poetry representative in a battle of wits to see how would curry favour in the empire.
That's right: a poetry battle.
Think Philip Larkin in 8 Mile.
Will the real Slim Shakespeare please stand up.
Kanye Wordsworth.
NWA (Novelists with Assonance)
At this point I very nearly gave up. Thankfully, so did Audsley and the contest ended abruptly as he refused to let his demon take control of him. Phew. Disaster avoided. If this had been allowed to continue it would have made Tom Bombadil look like a critical plot point.
Other than Audsley's chapters (which in the previous book had been a highlight) the book does roll along at a reasonable pace and there is just about enough action to keep the interest, particularly in the last 100 or so pages.
All in all, a good read and a turning point for the series as a whole, but a lot of nonsense could have been removed, (Edgar Allan) Poe Shizzle.
MaryAnn (14 KP) rated A Promise Forged (Ohio Brides #3) in Books
Mar 5, 2019
Kat transformed in front of him. Her chin came up, her fingers stopped twitching with the fabric of her gown, and a real sparkle bubbled in her eyes. It was like watching Snow White come to life when the prince kissed her. A heartwarming WWII historical from award-winning author Cara Putman: Kat Miller has dreamed of playing baseball her entire life. When she earns a spot on a team in the All-American Girls Professional Softball League, she finds that things aren’t as glamorous as she imagined. She struggles with long road trips, grueling practices, and older teammates who are jealous of her success. And to top it all off, an irritating reporter is constantly getting under Kat’s skin. Events in Jack Raymond’s career have left him cynical and distanced from God. He never wanted to write at a small paper, and he certainly didn’t want to be assigned to something as inconsequential as a women’s softball team. Then Kat walks into his life. The fiery, young softball player somehow climbs the walls around his heart and makes him want to hope again. When lies fly and the league appears to fail, will Kat and Jack’s new love survive?
My Thoughts: Every girl has a dream, and this time it's Kat's turn to have hers come true! A chance to play professional baseball. Cara Putman has weaved history and fiction in an entertaining storyline; s based the all women's league that was formed during the second world war.
Kat is the youngest member on the team and as I read the book, I wanted to take her under my wing and protect her from her jealous teammates. Kat had to suffer being away from her family, the jealousy of some of her teammates, traveling, grueling schedules and falling in love for the first time.
This was a very entertaining novel. I truly enjoyed it and it was a pleasure to read. One of the things I enjoyed about the book, was that Kat wanted to make a difference. She wanted to be a light for the Lord where ever she went. Her actions actually made Jack turn back to the Lord.
Even though I hadn't read the first two books, this was easy to follow on its own. I would love to read more from Cara Putman.
My Thoughts: Every girl has a dream, and this time it's Kat's turn to have hers come true! A chance to play professional baseball. Cara Putman has weaved history and fiction in an entertaining storyline; s based the all women's league that was formed during the second world war.
Kat is the youngest member on the team and as I read the book, I wanted to take her under my wing and protect her from her jealous teammates. Kat had to suffer being away from her family, the jealousy of some of her teammates, traveling, grueling schedules and falling in love for the first time.
This was a very entertaining novel. I truly enjoyed it and it was a pleasure to read. One of the things I enjoyed about the book, was that Kat wanted to make a difference. She wanted to be a light for the Lord where ever she went. Her actions actually made Jack turn back to the Lord.
Even though I hadn't read the first two books, this was easy to follow on its own. I would love to read more from Cara Putman.
Ross (3284 KP) rated After Life in TV
Apr 11, 2019
Gervais tries to break the mould again
Once again we see Ricky Gervais try to break the mould for a sit-com, this time by covering some pretty deep and heavy topics. While the humour is still there, it comes through fairly infrequently and is a little off kilter, when compared to the drama of the series.
Gervais plays Tony, a journalist on a local free paper who has recently lost his wife to cancer. Tony has simply given up on life and, while he cannot bring himself to end it, he seems to have decided to just do whatever he wants, no matter the consequences. He is rude to people in the street, makes his colleagues' working days miserable, and while he visits his dad in a care home regularly he clearly hates it and is just doing it out of duty.
Most of the comedy comes through in Gervais doing what he does best - being rude and nasty and way over the top in insulting people. The humour here is more for the shock value (calling a 6 year old a tubby little c**t for example) rather than a more considered layer of humour. As Tony has decided he can just do whatever he wants and hang the consequences, he takes a stand against stupid rules (the scene where he takes his nephew for tea in a café was brilliant).
I preferred the drama side of the series - him trying drugs, meeting new people and gradually softening over the series were some very touching moments and very well written. However when weighed against the comedy it just seems incongruous. I think Gervais needs to think about whether he wants to write a drama (and tone down the comedy a little more) or a comedy (and try less to push the boundaries).
Tony's epiphany was a little rushed/hard to spot. It seems that after 5 episodes of not caring about anything, the 6th starts off with him suddenly being a changed man out of nowhere. There were small moments where he seemed to soften but there was no sudden realisation big enough to justify the change of heart in the last episode.
This was a pretty hard hitting, emotional series, but I think it lost a little of the impact by having Gervais in it and trying to shoe-horn his sense of humour into it.
Gervais plays Tony, a journalist on a local free paper who has recently lost his wife to cancer. Tony has simply given up on life and, while he cannot bring himself to end it, he seems to have decided to just do whatever he wants, no matter the consequences. He is rude to people in the street, makes his colleagues' working days miserable, and while he visits his dad in a care home regularly he clearly hates it and is just doing it out of duty.
Most of the comedy comes through in Gervais doing what he does best - being rude and nasty and way over the top in insulting people. The humour here is more for the shock value (calling a 6 year old a tubby little c**t for example) rather than a more considered layer of humour. As Tony has decided he can just do whatever he wants and hang the consequences, he takes a stand against stupid rules (the scene where he takes his nephew for tea in a café was brilliant).
I preferred the drama side of the series - him trying drugs, meeting new people and gradually softening over the series were some very touching moments and very well written. However when weighed against the comedy it just seems incongruous. I think Gervais needs to think about whether he wants to write a drama (and tone down the comedy a little more) or a comedy (and try less to push the boundaries).
Tony's epiphany was a little rushed/hard to spot. It seems that after 5 episodes of not caring about anything, the 6th starts off with him suddenly being a changed man out of nowhere. There were small moments where he seemed to soften but there was no sudden realisation big enough to justify the change of heart in the last episode.
This was a pretty hard hitting, emotional series, but I think it lost a little of the impact by having Gervais in it and trying to shoe-horn his sense of humour into it.