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Merissa (12069 KP) rated Strength Check (Dungeons and Dating #1) in Books

Sep 17, 2021 (Updated Jul 14, 2023)  
Strength Check (Dungeons and Dating #1)
Strength Check (Dungeons and Dating #1)
Katherine McIntyre | 2021 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
8
8.8 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
STRENGTH CHECK is the first book in the Dungeons and Dating series, and we start off with Roxie. She has just opened a board game café with her two best friends and has no room in her life for romance. Her self-esteem has been severely battered and she has hidden herself from the world. Melody (Mel) has moved to San Francisco from Philly and rents out a room in Roxie's home. Both of them feel attraction but, due to baggage, neither makes a move.

Miscommunication is a theme where romance is concerned. After all, if everyone just said what they thought, there wouldn't be any books! BUT there seemed to be just a tad too much here for me. I really wanted to slap both Roxie and Mel upside the head. I was cheering when they finally got together!

Found families is a wonderful theme for me. I adore it, and this was no exception. Roxie's found family are divine and I really can't wait for future stories so I can get to meet each of them in closer detail.

This is a slow-burn, steamy romance with fun, frolics, and family. It is also sad in places, leaving me wanting their book now. Sorry, not saying who as I don't want to spoil it.

First in a series and absolutely recommended by me. Just be prepared to be frustrated at the two of them! 😉

** 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!
Sep 17, 2021
  
Big Hero 6 (2014)
Big Hero 6 (2014)
2014 | Animation, Family
Mixing Anime with the cutting edge animation that Disney is famous for, “Big Hero 6” is the latest offering from the studio legendary for animated classics.
The film is sent in a near-future San Francisco which is now known as San Fransokyo and follows a boy genius named Hiro (Ryan Potter) who along with his older brother Tadashi (Daniel Henney) lives with his Aunt after being orphaned.

Hiro is very good at designing fighting robots and despite it being illegal; he has managed to earn himself some nice money winning fights on the underground circuit.
His brother wants him to do better and takes him to his college, and encourages him to enroll and follow him and his friends in helping build a better tomorrow.
Hiro opts to enter a technology showcase and blows away the competition which ensures him a place in the school and working with his brother and his team.
At the moment of his greatest triumph, tragedy strikes and Hiro finds himself in deep depression and unwilling to enter school and complete his education. When a freak discovery leads Hiro to learn that his invention has been stolen by a mysterious figure in a Kabuki mask, Hiro must use his knowledge along with Baymax (Scott Adsit), a medical robot designed by his brother to save the day.

Hiro is not without help as aside from complex fighting and flight tools and armor added to Baymax, Hiro enlists and equips his brother’s friends to form an elite fighting unit.
As the team gets closer to the mystery the danger grows, and Hiro must grow beyond his years to do what is right and learn some hard life lessons in the process.
The film is a bit slow to start and parents will want to note the PG rating as it may be a bit dark and intense for younger viewers.
Old viewers may get a bit impatient with the setup but after the first 45 minutes the film gets down to great characters and action which are the selling points of the film.
It was very clear to me that Disney was aiming the film mainly to the Asian markets and to fans of anime but I found the characters growing on me as it went along and I really enjoyed the 3D animation which was wonderful to behold.

In the end it was a pleasant enough introduction to what I hope is the first of many films in the series. Eagle eyed viewers will want to look carefully for a Stan Lee cameo as it is one to enjoy as is this charming new franchise film from Disney.

http://sknr.net/2014/11/07/big-hero-6/
  
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When The Devil Wants In
When The Devil Wants In
Cate Ashwood, J.H. Knight | 2018 | Mystery, Romance
8
9.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
When The Devil Wants In by Cate Ashwood & J.H. Knight
When the Devil Wants In is a story that tells of John, a man firmly in the closet in his home town in the deep South. He lives next door to his very religious parents, and everyone thinks that he and his best friend, Chloe, will be married one day. Chloe is the only one who knows that John is gay, and provides his cover. Matt is the newbie to this police force, but is an experienced office from San Francisco. Matt wasn't in the closet, but feels it may be appropriate for Magnolia Ridge.

John is only supposed to be in his late twenties, but somehow came across as being a LOT older. As for Matt, it was hard to pin an age on him. Sometimes he seemed young, sometimes old. Although this story is told from both of their perspectives, it was hard to find much sympathy for John, and I have no idea why. There didn't seem to be much of a bond between the two of them until the end of the story. As for the mystery, there was a lot of build up, but the ending left me wanting more. Although we got the who, the how and why were never really discussed. There was no idea of what had happened to make the person 'snap' at that time.

Apart from that, the story was well written, with no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading flow. The story was interesting, with a great cast of characters. For anyone who wanted a M/M Mystery, then I would definitely recommend this. Just because I found it slightly unsatisfying at the end doesn't mean everyone will!

* 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!
  
Twisted (2004)
Twisted (2004)
2004 | Drama, Mystery
2
4.0 (2 Ratings)
Movie Rating
For newly promoted Homicide Detective Jessica Shepard (Ashley Judd), life is about to take an unexpected twist that will leave the most private aspects of her life on display and her very sanity questioned.

Sheppard has just been promoted to the San Francisco Homicide unit after bringing in suspected serial killer Edmund Cutler (Leland Orser). Sheppard ignored protocol and almost became a victim herself so there are those in the department who resent her promotion and credit it to her gender and the fact that she is sponsored by a high ranking official named John Mills (Samuel L. Jackson) who has raised her since Shepard’s parents were killed years earlier.

Sheppard is soon called in to investigate a body floating in the bay, and is shocked to discover the victim is a man she picked up in a bar previously. When a second body is discovered also with a connection to Shepard, her partner Mike Delmarco (Andy Garcia), thinks that Jessica may have an obsessive stalker following her.

Jessica is soon a suspect in the killings and the fact that she is blacking out at night is causing Jessica to suspect that she may be responsible for the killings.

What should be a tense thriller never emerges as the film plods along never allowing any tension to build. There are attempts to plant a few red-herrings as the film draws to the conclusion but the identity of the killer is so obvious that all that is missing is a neon sign proclaiming the obvious. To further add to the failure of the film, I was able to see events coming far in advance including the events of the final confrontation.

Judd and Garcia do the best they can with the material but Jackson is woefully underused in a story that seems better suited for a movie of the week. It is a shame that an interesting premise such as this is wasted, as “Twisted” is a whodunit that will leave you saying who cares.