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Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Bound by Night (MoonBound Clan Vampire, #1) in Books
Jan 8, 2021
***ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***
4.5 stars.
I’ll start by saying I really, really, liked Riker. He might have tried to act like a hard-ass but he wasn’t. Something right from the start grabbed me about him and I went a little mushy. Awww… :P And he was hot, too!!
Nicole turned out to be quite ballsy and I liked that about her. Riker needed someone like her in his life. I liked how she told it to him straight and if he didn’t like it, then she either fought to make him listen or walked away, making him come to her.
The secondary characters were quite fun too. Hunter, the head of the MoonBound clan, made me smile a lot. Playing is video games and saying some of the stuff he did. Myne, a fellow member of the clan, was another favourite. He might have come across at the beginning of being some rather scary ass vampire but by the end, he’d grown on me.
I feel I have to mention that first sex scene. It was HOT!! As was the second. Crikey, Larissa Ione knows how to write passionate scenes between her characters.
The storyline was different, with vampires being slaves to humans and I wondered how it was all going to work out. I wasn’t disappointed, it was a hell of a journey. I was happy, sad (I almost cried a few times), and angry at various points in this. But to me that made it goooood. Really good.
If you’re a fan of Larissa Ione then this isn’t to be missed. If you like steamy paranormal romance, again, this isn’t to be missed. I highly recommend it.
P.S. I am so going to look up what an origami vampire looks like :P
4.5 stars.
I’ll start by saying I really, really, liked Riker. He might have tried to act like a hard-ass but he wasn’t. Something right from the start grabbed me about him and I went a little mushy. Awww… :P And he was hot, too!!
Nicole turned out to be quite ballsy and I liked that about her. Riker needed someone like her in his life. I liked how she told it to him straight and if he didn’t like it, then she either fought to make him listen or walked away, making him come to her.
The secondary characters were quite fun too. Hunter, the head of the MoonBound clan, made me smile a lot. Playing is video games and saying some of the stuff he did. Myne, a fellow member of the clan, was another favourite. He might have come across at the beginning of being some rather scary ass vampire but by the end, he’d grown on me.
I feel I have to mention that first sex scene. It was HOT!! As was the second. Crikey, Larissa Ione knows how to write passionate scenes between her characters.
The storyline was different, with vampires being slaves to humans and I wondered how it was all going to work out. I wasn’t disappointed, it was a hell of a journey. I was happy, sad (I almost cried a few times), and angry at various points in this. But to me that made it goooood. Really good.
If you’re a fan of Larissa Ione then this isn’t to be missed. If you like steamy paranormal romance, again, this isn’t to be missed. I highly recommend it.
P.S. I am so going to look up what an origami vampire looks like :P
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Stephen Merchant recommended Play It Again, Sam (1972) in Movies (curated)
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Merissa (11787 KP) created a post
Mar 13, 2021
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LoganCrews (2861 KP) rated Insurgent (2015) in Movies
Apr 23, 2021
Not as decent as 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘻𝘦 𝘙𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘳, not as horrendous as 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘎𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘴, on nearly exactly the same level as the first 𝘋𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘵. I'm still shocked these still manage to be kind of entertaining even in spite of telling one of the dumbest stories to ever be translated to screen. At least half the cast just seems bored, but Jai Courtney and Daniel Dae Kim shine in supporting roles - which isn't all too hard to do here actually considering these two lead characters are inexplicably even *more* lifeless than they were in the first one. Great, we get to see more of this mid-2010s "trauma romance" crap - but at least they have the common decency to make the action sorta fun (the shameful choice to exchange Burger's visual panache [and... actual color] for this ugly ash-gray palette notwithstanding). And I'll always give credit to this one for being a lot ballsier than most of these YA copies-of-each-other - it's pretty violent and a fair amount of people get shot in the head, we even see more blood than just a nosebleed for once! Makes no human sense but that's also what makes it kind of enjoyable tbh. The Woodley character is the weakest link: emulating every overdramatic shithead teenager who thinks they're a revolutionary for making a Tweet about how much they hate 5th period geometry doesn't really help the cringe factor any (the 'dramatic haircut' smash cut into the flock of crows flying through the forest to triumphant music is one of the worst things ever). If this were made today Tris would be trying to cancel Kate Winslet's character for using the term "spirit animal" 11 years ago.
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Shelle Perry (66 KP) rated Murder at the Lakeside Library: A Lakeside Library Mystery in Books
Aug 9, 2021
Rain has made her way home to the Wisconsin Northwoods
Rain has made her way home to the Wisconsin Northwoods. Pine Lake: the family cabin originally built by her great grandfather, but added onto over the decades. Her grandfather was a published author and her mother has turned the original log-built cabin into a local library, which she shares with the entire laker community.
Rain is dealing with the death of her husband and an estrangement from her parents. She is just hoping to spend a quiet summer recharging, but best laid plans and all. First Rain is blindsided by the opening of the library, luckily she has friends Julia and Marge, to help out. Just as they get the project going, they stumble upon the dead body of a man who is reputed to be a close friend of her mother’s. Next to his body is a copy of Rain’s grandfather’s book, which should not be outside of the library under any circumstances. The mystery unfolds encompassing details from Rain’s family. Julia and Rain pick up their friendship where it left off all those summers ago growing up on the lake. Together they are impulsive and irrepressible and actually kind of fun. Other great characters flesh out Rain’s inner circle including a charismatic police officer that is prime material for romance at some point down the road when Rain has gotten things more together.
It is a terrific beginning to a new series I a looking forward to keeping up with
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
I received an advance review copy for free through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours, and I am leaving this review voluntarily
Rain is dealing with the death of her husband and an estrangement from her parents. She is just hoping to spend a quiet summer recharging, but best laid plans and all. First Rain is blindsided by the opening of the library, luckily she has friends Julia and Marge, to help out. Just as they get the project going, they stumble upon the dead body of a man who is reputed to be a close friend of her mother’s. Next to his body is a copy of Rain’s grandfather’s book, which should not be outside of the library under any circumstances. The mystery unfolds encompassing details from Rain’s family. Julia and Rain pick up their friendship where it left off all those summers ago growing up on the lake. Together they are impulsive and irrepressible and actually kind of fun. Other great characters flesh out Rain’s inner circle including a charismatic police officer that is prime material for romance at some point down the road when Rain has gotten things more together.
It is a terrific beginning to a new series I a looking forward to keeping up with
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
I received an advance review copy for free through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours, and I am leaving this review voluntarily
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Allison Anders recommended Charade (1963) in Movies (curated)
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Merissa (11787 KP) rated Val (The Hawks #2) in Books
Jul 9, 2021
VAL is the second book in The Hawks series, and to get the most out of this story, I would recommend you read Tristan first. We start where Tristan finished - Val has been rescued but Alanna is still in the castle.
Val is... I would say disheartened but it's so much more than that. He's broken. He believes his brothers left him when he needed them the most. It didn't help when they started to believe the hype and lies told about Alanna, when he alone knew the truth. Of course, he could have opened his mouth, but then he wouldn't be the tortured hero.
Alanna is stronger than she realises. When you find out her back story and just what she went through? Horrible! I was really rooting for Alanna and Val to get together, but Ballanor is on their tail all the way. Val and Lanni have a slow-burn romance, which drove me insane, as I really wanted them to do the do, but it was all for a very good reason which I only figured out at the same time as the other characters! Loved that.
There are new characters introduced in this book, and Ramiel and Haniel are my favourites (so far!) I can't wait to see them in future books.
The pacing is smooth and the story is well maintained, both with Val and Lanni's individual story plus the overall arc. Oh, and if you thought Ballanor was bad, brace yourself. There's someone far worse!
A fantastic addition to the series and highly 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, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Val is... I would say disheartened but it's so much more than that. He's broken. He believes his brothers left him when he needed them the most. It didn't help when they started to believe the hype and lies told about Alanna, when he alone knew the truth. Of course, he could have opened his mouth, but then he wouldn't be the tortured hero.
Alanna is stronger than she realises. When you find out her back story and just what she went through? Horrible! I was really rooting for Alanna and Val to get together, but Ballanor is on their tail all the way. Val and Lanni have a slow-burn romance, which drove me insane, as I really wanted them to do the do, but it was all for a very good reason which I only figured out at the same time as the other characters! Loved that.
There are new characters introduced in this book, and Ramiel and Haniel are my favourites (so far!) I can't wait to see them in future books.
The pacing is smooth and the story is well maintained, both with Val and Lanni's individual story plus the overall arc. Oh, and if you thought Ballanor was bad, brace yourself. There's someone far worse!
A fantastic addition to the series and highly 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, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
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BookInspector (124 KP) rated Follow the Snowflakes in Books
Sep 24, 2020
Previously I read some of the short romance books, and unfortunately, they kind of disappointed me, but I actually enjoyed this novella, maybe because I read it at the suitable time, or maybe because I could relate with some of the things which were mentioned in the book.
The blurb of this novella is pretty accurate, Cat accidentally meets a stranger in a car accident, and because she has a good heart, she helps him out. One thing leads to another and they spend more and more time together, but life throws in some pleasant surprises and twists for Cat. This is a sweet story, with pleasant characters and interesting twists. I enjoyed reading this novel because it was not too sweet, it had its edge in it, but at the same time, it was pleasant and romantic.
The author was born in Novosibirsk, Russian Siberia, and I did like the little details she proudly shared about her Russian heritage. Do not be fooled by the cover, even though this book is filled with pictures giving it a playful feel, it is a story for adults. I really liked the art at the end of the novel, and I think it is great if you have children, you can give it to them to colour in. Everybody wins!!!
The writing style of this novella is quite simple, with easy and understandable vocabulary. I liked the short chapters, it made this book really great one sitting read. The ending of this story rounded everything as I was suspecting, and for me, it didn’t leave any loose ends. So to conclude, it is a great read if you like Hallmark and looking for a quick, playful and Christmasy story which is pleasant, romantic and not over sweetened. Enjoy
The blurb of this novella is pretty accurate, Cat accidentally meets a stranger in a car accident, and because she has a good heart, she helps him out. One thing leads to another and they spend more and more time together, but life throws in some pleasant surprises and twists for Cat. This is a sweet story, with pleasant characters and interesting twists. I enjoyed reading this novel because it was not too sweet, it had its edge in it, but at the same time, it was pleasant and romantic.
The author was born in Novosibirsk, Russian Siberia, and I did like the little details she proudly shared about her Russian heritage. Do not be fooled by the cover, even though this book is filled with pictures giving it a playful feel, it is a story for adults. I really liked the art at the end of the novel, and I think it is great if you have children, you can give it to them to colour in. Everybody wins!!!
The writing style of this novella is quite simple, with easy and understandable vocabulary. I liked the short chapters, it made this book really great one sitting read. The ending of this story rounded everything as I was suspecting, and for me, it didn’t leave any loose ends. So to conclude, it is a great read if you like Hallmark and looking for a quick, playful and Christmasy story which is pleasant, romantic and not over sweetened. Enjoy
![40x40](/uploads/profile_image/6ed/62fdc927-bb07-4c5f-b081-880691be96ed.jpg?m=1600877165)
BookInspector (124 KP) rated The Sea Gate in Books
Sep 24, 2020
This book is told from a dual perspective by Becky and Olivia. Becky is tasked to make the old crumbling house livable for Olivia. Becky is lovely, but quite a troubled character. Grief, unsatisfying love life, fear of illness and other things occupy Becky’s mind very often… I really liked Olivia in this novel, at present she is this tough old cookie but when we start delving into her childhood, we can see how wonderful she truly is. I enjoyed Olivia’s parts because she was very mysterious throughout this book, and I really enjoyed all the little discoveries that author had to offer with every single chapter.
I liked the narrative and how all the events were flowing throughout the pages. Present mixed with the past, never left me bored, and I was hooked to find out what will happen next. This novel has a lot to teach us, not only about self-discovery but also about how it was to live during WWII, especially when you are young, want to be carefree, but are left to fend for yourself with a very annoying child bestowed on you. I see a lot of the author’s experience in this book, such as life in Cornwall, true love for the sea and great knowledge about Morocco and it’s people.
I loved the writing style, it feels serious, but at the same breezy and enjoyable. The topics discussed in this book were abusive relationships, self-discovery, romance, survival, small community and it’s ways of life etc. The chapters are very well designed and didn’t leave me feeling bored. I liked the ending of this book, and I think it rounded up this story very nicely. So, to conclude, it was a very pleasantly surprising novel, filled with intriguing, different timelines as well as absorbing characters and their life stories.
I liked the narrative and how all the events were flowing throughout the pages. Present mixed with the past, never left me bored, and I was hooked to find out what will happen next. This novel has a lot to teach us, not only about self-discovery but also about how it was to live during WWII, especially when you are young, want to be carefree, but are left to fend for yourself with a very annoying child bestowed on you. I see a lot of the author’s experience in this book, such as life in Cornwall, true love for the sea and great knowledge about Morocco and it’s people.
I loved the writing style, it feels serious, but at the same breezy and enjoyable. The topics discussed in this book were abusive relationships, self-discovery, romance, survival, small community and it’s ways of life etc. The chapters are very well designed and didn’t leave me feeling bored. I liked the ending of this book, and I think it rounded up this story very nicely. So, to conclude, it was a very pleasantly surprising novel, filled with intriguing, different timelines as well as absorbing characters and their life stories.
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Sarah (7798 KP) rated The New Mutants (2020) in Movies
Sep 10, 2020
Worst X-Men film yet?
The X-Men films have always been a bit of a mixed bag. The good; X2 and Days of Future Past. The bad verging on awful; Last Stand, Apocalypse and Dark Phoenix. And I'm afraid New Mutants is definitely the latter.
First of all, this film has been released to literally no fanfare or press whatsoever. I havent seen a single trailer or advert at all, it's not a good sign and almost feels like they're trying to brush this one under the carpet. And i can see why.
This film is beyond dull and I lost count of the amount of times I yawned and rolled my eyes watching this. From the shaky cam dodgy opening scene, visually this wasn't great. Some effects were good but some definitely looked shaky around the edges. And then there's the script which is very cheesy and poor, and the plot that isn't much better. Dani is an overall terrible character both in how she's written and acted. The romance in this is so badly done and cliched (and after knowing each other for like a day) that I almost wanted to vomit. There's also the issue with the accents - what on earth waa going on with Maisie Williams and Charlie Heaton?
The only saving grace to this film is Anya Taylor-Joy who is a wonderful actress and also luckily has the best character. Don't get me wrong she still suffers from the overly poor script and plot, but her character at least has some substance and whenever she's on screen the film is all the better for it. The rest of the characters you just couldn't care less about.
I havent quite decided yet if this is the worse film in the X-Men universe, but it's definitely in the running.
First of all, this film has been released to literally no fanfare or press whatsoever. I havent seen a single trailer or advert at all, it's not a good sign and almost feels like they're trying to brush this one under the carpet. And i can see why.
This film is beyond dull and I lost count of the amount of times I yawned and rolled my eyes watching this. From the shaky cam dodgy opening scene, visually this wasn't great. Some effects were good but some definitely looked shaky around the edges. And then there's the script which is very cheesy and poor, and the plot that isn't much better. Dani is an overall terrible character both in how she's written and acted. The romance in this is so badly done and cliched (and after knowing each other for like a day) that I almost wanted to vomit. There's also the issue with the accents - what on earth waa going on with Maisie Williams and Charlie Heaton?
The only saving grace to this film is Anya Taylor-Joy who is a wonderful actress and also luckily has the best character. Don't get me wrong she still suffers from the overly poor script and plot, but her character at least has some substance and whenever she's on screen the film is all the better for it. The rest of the characters you just couldn't care less about.
I havent quite decided yet if this is the worse film in the X-Men universe, but it's definitely in the running.