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Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated No Mercy in Books

Jan 7, 2024

No Mercy

Martina Cole | 2019 | Crime

8.3

(4 Ratings)

Book Rating

5 of 220
Book
No Mercy
By Martina Cole
⭐️⭐️

Diana Davis has been head of the family business since the death of her husband, an infamous bank robber. She's a woman in a man's world, but no one messes with her.

Her only son, Angus, is a natural born villain, but he needs to earn Diana's trust before she'll allow him into the business.

Once he's proved he has the brains to run their clubs in Marbella, he is given what he's always wanted. It's the beginning of a reign of terror that knows no bounds.

But Angus has a blind spot: his wife, Lorna, and their three kids, Angus Junior, Sean and Eilish. And as the next generation enters the business, Angus has a painful truth to learn. Even when it comes to family, he must show no mercy...

I honestly normally really enjoy a Martina Cole but this was just lacking that bite you normally get. It was nowhere near as brutal as you expect. Something was definitely off for me with this one. Saying that I still finished it so something kept me reading.

Kudos

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2165 KP) rated The Ducal Detective in Books

Apr 25, 2024

Jacqueline Starts Her Reign Solving a Murder

Jacqueline Arienta Xavier has just been crowned Duchess of Saphire after the death of her parents in an accident. Since she is still mourning them, she is struggling to adjust to her new duties. Then she gets word that her parents’ death may have been murder. Not knowing who to trust, can she figure out what happened to them?

This is a fun novella that introduces a mystery series with a light fantasy setting. Considering all that the novella has to do, it’s impressive how it balances it in the short length it has. I was immediately drawn to Jacqueline, and I loved what we saw of her here. I also really liked the rest of the characters. The world was fun, and I hope we get to explore it further as the series goes along. For the length of the story, the mystery was good with enough twists to keep us engaged on the way to a logical climax. I appreciated the balance we got in tone between the sadness Jacqueline is experiencing and the lighter scenes. I can’t wait to make a return visit to this series.

Kudos

Deborah (162 KP) rated Highland Surrender in Books

Dec 21, 2018

In the reign on James V (son of Margaret Tudor, the sister of Henry VIII, and father of Mary Queen of Scots) Fiona and Myles, representatives of two feuding clans, are told by the King that they must marry and form an alliance.....

Sadly, Fiona, the heroine, appears as a right Little Madam for most of the first part of the book. Even after feeling betrayed by her brothers, she is unable to reasonably question anything beyond the clan indoctrination and acts simply like a spoilt child. It's quite hard to see why Myles falls for her at all.

That said, overall this isn't a bad book. I think a bit more on the history side would have made this a more solid and exciting novel, as the ending was really rather good, but it seemed that it couldn't decide if it wanted to be an historical novel, with a romance element (think Elizabeth Chadwick) or something more akin to a bodice ripper (and nothing wrong with that!). You started off feeling there was a bigger plot at play, but this seemed to get a bit lost in the middle, before a quite exciting ending after all.

Not sure it's worth a second read, but I'd consider this author again in the future.

Kudos

LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) in Movies

Jul 16, 2019

An absolute joy from start to finish

Into the Spider-Verse is nothing short of excellent.

The animation style is beautiful, quirky, packed with colour, and doesn't let go of your attention until the credits have finished rolling.
The assembled voice cast are all great, and compliment the emotion and humour felt throughout.
The humour in question is flawless...every joke and humourous beat land perfectly. It's a funny movie, as well as carrying along a powerful message about growing up, and realising that you're not alone.

The storyline is pretty crazy, and as it deals with multiple dimensions, there's a chance to pull in some fun characters from the comic world, including Peni Parker, Spider-Ham, Spider Gwen, and Spider-Man Noir (hilarious btw). It's definitely out there, but it works very well.

Miles' universe, where the movie takes place, is a setting that allows the writers to take free reign, tinkering with classic villains we know and love, making this a Spider-Man movie worth seeing for fans old and new.

Possibly the best Spider-Man movie yet (maybe in a par with Far From Home).

End note - the post credit scene is just the best thing ever.