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Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated The Care and Feeding of Stray Vampires (Half-Moon Hollow, #1) in Books
Jan 11, 2021
I've always been drawn to this book - series, really - so when I saw it at 99p a while back I couldn't resist buying it.
This starts with Iris in the supermarket buying items for her vampire clients to make their lives easier, sorting out their wants and needs while they sleep during the day so she never actually comes face to face with them. She heads over to leave a welcome basket for her newest client, Cal, when she ends up falling over his body in his kitchen. He's been poisoned and they negotiate for him to come stay with her while he recovers and tries to find out who's behind his poisoning
This was equal parts fun and quirky, intriguing and romantic. Fun and quirky because it's full of snark and some strangely funny vampire related conversations. Intriguing with trying to figure out who's behind Cal's poisoning. And romantic because Iris and Cal have some really cute and some really hot scenes together. There was a really sort of cute bit with Cal and Gigi - Iris's younger sister - where he gets really protective of her seeing guys and buys her a bubble-gum pink taser so she can protect herself.
I was not expecting the bad guy to be who it was. That took me by surprise, so well done for that. I was convinced it was someone else for most of the book.
I did like the romance between our main characters. As I mentioned above it was really cute at times and that end bit where he pretty much re-staged their initial meeting with him laid out on the floor so she can fall over him. What else can I say but CUTE.
This was just a fun all round read and I cannot wait to read more of this series.
This starts with Iris in the supermarket buying items for her vampire clients to make their lives easier, sorting out their wants and needs while they sleep during the day so she never actually comes face to face with them. She heads over to leave a welcome basket for her newest client, Cal, when she ends up falling over his body in his kitchen. He's been poisoned and they negotiate for him to come stay with her while he recovers and tries to find out who's behind his poisoning
This was equal parts fun and quirky, intriguing and romantic. Fun and quirky because it's full of snark and some strangely funny vampire related conversations. Intriguing with trying to figure out who's behind Cal's poisoning. And romantic because Iris and Cal have some really cute and some really hot scenes together. There was a really sort of cute bit with Cal and Gigi - Iris's younger sister - where he gets really protective of her seeing guys and buys her a bubble-gum pink taser so she can protect herself.
I was not expecting the bad guy to be who it was. That took me by surprise, so well done for that. I was convinced it was someone else for most of the book.
I did like the romance between our main characters. As I mentioned above it was really cute at times and that end bit where he pretty much re-staged their initial meeting with him laid out on the floor so she can fall over him. What else can I say but CUTE.
This was just a fun all round read and I cannot wait to read more of this series.
I read book 7, several months ago and enjoyed it.
This one follows Ivy, who we saw quite a lot of in the previous book since she was one of Sadie's best friends, who owns the areas best taco truck with its spicy food. It's as she's getting ready for the breakfast crowd that she bumps into Kel, a sheriff visiting family in the area for a few weeks and an instant attraction blooms between them. They both try to fight it but keep being drawn back to each other.
I think I liked this more than Playing for Keeps. Kel's protective nature and Ivy's don't-get-close-to-me-because-I-wont-stick-around attitude sort of made me want them to get under each others skin and they did, in a big way. Admittedly it took a while before anything happened but we had hot glances and interesting conversations. Both of them are damaged in some ways. Ivy never really had a parent so she's wary of letting people get close as she's scared of what might happen and Kel keeps himself detached from relationships and blames it on his job for not staying around.
What I did enjoy was seeing them working through their problems so they could be with each other. It wasn't easy to get over them and it wasn't until near the end of the book that they finally got together and it was sweet.
I really like this group of friends. They're the ones who'll stick with you through thick and thin and won't shy away from any problem you might have. I wish I'd read all the previous books - books 1-6 - so I could see how some of these couples got together but I will be keeping my eye out for more books in this series.
This one follows Ivy, who we saw quite a lot of in the previous book since she was one of Sadie's best friends, who owns the areas best taco truck with its spicy food. It's as she's getting ready for the breakfast crowd that she bumps into Kel, a sheriff visiting family in the area for a few weeks and an instant attraction blooms between them. They both try to fight it but keep being drawn back to each other.
I think I liked this more than Playing for Keeps. Kel's protective nature and Ivy's don't-get-close-to-me-because-I-wont-stick-around attitude sort of made me want them to get under each others skin and they did, in a big way. Admittedly it took a while before anything happened but we had hot glances and interesting conversations. Both of them are damaged in some ways. Ivy never really had a parent so she's wary of letting people get close as she's scared of what might happen and Kel keeps himself detached from relationships and blames it on his job for not staying around.
What I did enjoy was seeing them working through their problems so they could be with each other. It wasn't easy to get over them and it wasn't until near the end of the book that they finally got together and it was sweet.
I really like this group of friends. They're the ones who'll stick with you through thick and thin and won't shy away from any problem you might have. I wish I'd read all the previous books - books 1-6 - so I could see how some of these couples got together but I will be keeping my eye out for more books in this series.
Darren Fisher (2465 KP) rated Killer's Moon (1978) in Movies
Dec 11, 2020 (Updated Dec 11, 2020)
Classic low budget British horror
I love my bonkers films and this demented British horror from Alan Birkinshaw certainly is up there. Four lunatics escape from a cottage (yep, not even a mental institution) whilst dosed up on LSD provided by the psychiatrists (it's a experiment in which said nutters think they are only dreaming - so whatever they do whilst tripping holds no consequence). Meanwhile, in the middle of nowhere, a bus full of schoolgirls brakes down. With no other choice the bus driver goes lookin for help whilst the teachers and girls seek refuge in a desolate hotel. As the escaped lunatics make their murderous way across country they come across the hotel. Once inside they begin tormenting, raping and decimating the cast. It's grimy, sleazy and very non-politically correct. I certainly can't imagine it getting made in todays times. The infrequent gore scenes are more 'Carry On...' style than gruesome, the special effects are amateur, accompanied with goofy sound effects. What carries the film along is the dialogue. Co-written with the directors sister Fay Weldon, the script is jaw droppingly unbelievable, unintentionally hilarious and mind-bogglingly bizarre. The most infamous quote comes after one school girl has been raped by one of the lunatics and pretty much sets the tone of what you are watching...
"Look, you were only raped, as long as you don't tell anyone about it you'll be alright. You pretend it never happened, I pretend I never saw it and if we ever get out of this alive, well, maybe we'll both live to be wives and mothers"
Just one of many delicious quotes from the film I hasten to add. Guaranteed trash gold. Highly recommended.
"Look, you were only raped, as long as you don't tell anyone about it you'll be alright. You pretend it never happened, I pretend I never saw it and if we ever get out of this alive, well, maybe we'll both live to be wives and mothers"
Just one of many delicious quotes from the film I hasten to add. Guaranteed trash gold. Highly recommended.
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Suburbicon (2017) in Movies
Sep 25, 2019
Suburbicon is a peaceful, idyllic, suburban community with affordable homes and manicured lawns -- the perfect place to raise a family, and in the summer of 1959, the Lodge family is doing just that. But the tranquil surface masks a disturbing reality, as husband and father Gardner Lodge must navigate the town's dark underbelly of betrayal, deceit and violence.
I saw this trailer so many times in the run up to the Unlimited Screening. It initially intrigued me, I'm not a particular fan of Matt Damon, but I do like Julianne Moore, and Oscar Isaac the more I see him. Both Moore and Isaac seemed at home in this 50s setting, but Damon didn't feel very convincing.
The story had a lot of potential. Lodge wants to kill his wife who has become bitter towards him since he caused an accident that left her in a wheelchair. The plan is to stage a home invasion that leads to her death. This will leave room for her twin sister to move in and take her sister's place in the family. But when a suspicious insurance investigator comes sniffing around the case things start to fall apart. In the background of this though there is a story about the new African-American neighbours that have moved into the property behind the Lodge's. I know that this is fitting for that era, and some sort of big "distraction" was needed for a lot of things to work, but it just felt very detached from everything.
This isn't one that I'd watch again, I feel like it's going to fade into obscurity in my mind and in about ten years someone is going to ask me if I've seen it and I won't be able to remember.
I saw this trailer so many times in the run up to the Unlimited Screening. It initially intrigued me, I'm not a particular fan of Matt Damon, but I do like Julianne Moore, and Oscar Isaac the more I see him. Both Moore and Isaac seemed at home in this 50s setting, but Damon didn't feel very convincing.
The story had a lot of potential. Lodge wants to kill his wife who has become bitter towards him since he caused an accident that left her in a wheelchair. The plan is to stage a home invasion that leads to her death. This will leave room for her twin sister to move in and take her sister's place in the family. But when a suspicious insurance investigator comes sniffing around the case things start to fall apart. In the background of this though there is a story about the new African-American neighbours that have moved into the property behind the Lodge's. I know that this is fitting for that era, and some sort of big "distraction" was needed for a lot of things to work, but it just felt very detached from everything.
This isn't one that I'd watch again, I feel like it's going to fade into obscurity in my mind and in about ten years someone is going to ask me if I've seen it and I won't be able to remember.
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Ghost Stories (2018) in Movies
Sep 25, 2019
Arch skeptic Professor Phillip Goodman embarks upon a terror-filled quest when he stumbles across a long-lost file containing details of three cases of inexplicable 'hauntings'.
Well... when it says the brain sees what it wants to see that really is true. My brain saw a film with some potential in it, but ultimately for me, disappointing.
Like A Quiet Place I hadn't been convinced I wanted to see it. But out of the two this one had looked less worrying from the trailers, and I like supernatural things so I double billed again to see this one.
The audience was about 50/50... those who were screaming and those that were laughing. I was surprisingly in the latter category. There were several amusing bits, and I particularly enjoyed the Sooty and Sweep moment and the car scene, Alex Lawther got some very good parts.
I'm left wondering why film makers like to use pieces designed to make people physically jump. There were plenty of things in the film that would have a more chilling effect, but Ghost Stories seemed littered with a lot of the jumpy moments, most of which were obvious in their appearances.
I might have been able to let that go if it hadn't been for one thing... the ending. I don't think I've been that annoyed with an ending since Lost. Even the cheesiness of A Quiet Place's ending was forgotten. Some many things in the film were right there to be explored in more depth but were ignored for what I was hoping to be a startling ending to make up for incomplete stories... there was no satisfying ending here for me. A twisted set of tales that were cut short. In an effort to add more suspense and expectation? Who knows.
Well... when it says the brain sees what it wants to see that really is true. My brain saw a film with some potential in it, but ultimately for me, disappointing.
Like A Quiet Place I hadn't been convinced I wanted to see it. But out of the two this one had looked less worrying from the trailers, and I like supernatural things so I double billed again to see this one.
The audience was about 50/50... those who were screaming and those that were laughing. I was surprisingly in the latter category. There were several amusing bits, and I particularly enjoyed the Sooty and Sweep moment and the car scene, Alex Lawther got some very good parts.
I'm left wondering why film makers like to use pieces designed to make people physically jump. There were plenty of things in the film that would have a more chilling effect, but Ghost Stories seemed littered with a lot of the jumpy moments, most of which were obvious in their appearances.
I might have been able to let that go if it hadn't been for one thing... the ending. I don't think I've been that annoyed with an ending since Lost. Even the cheesiness of A Quiet Place's ending was forgotten. Some many things in the film were right there to be explored in more depth but were ignored for what I was hoping to be a startling ending to make up for incomplete stories... there was no satisfying ending here for me. A twisted set of tales that were cut short. In an effort to add more suspense and expectation? Who knows.
Ducklady (1174 KP) rated The Core: The Demon Cycle in Books
Aug 25, 2019
The ending to a spectacular series
Contains spoilers, click to show
Despite negative things I had heard about this book, I was eager to read the final book of the demon cycle series.
I loved the new additions to the POV characters, my favourites being Ashia and Briar. I did feel like it skated away from the main protagonists many times, which frustrated me while I was anxious to get back to Arlen and co. Saying that, the chapters for Ragen and Elissa were brilliant and gave some insight into characters that were already held dear. It revisited some of Arlen's friends from his childhood and the way they had changed from children to adults was an interesting read.
The gap in coming back to the main characters made the book even more tense and made me want to read more and more.
I was confused about the author's opinions on religion, particularly with the scenes between Arlen and Jardir. I have gotten a very negative vibe surrounding religion all throughout the series, but when they were travelling to the core, that seemed flipped on its head.
One part that really struck me was the reaction that Leesha had when she saw her rapist. she relived the moment and still spared the man's life. He was a simple monster that had been implied to have raped other women too. Leesha had a daughter to think about and I think that would have realistically caused her to execute the man, it even said that she wouldn't have been judged for it. Half the time Leesha is holier than thou, although other times she has used her flameworks and poison to kill people... like come on, kill the goddamn rapist. Other than that, this book was almost impossible to put down.
I am excited for the next series and will likely reread the entire series again.
I loved the new additions to the POV characters, my favourites being Ashia and Briar. I did feel like it skated away from the main protagonists many times, which frustrated me while I was anxious to get back to Arlen and co. Saying that, the chapters for Ragen and Elissa were brilliant and gave some insight into characters that were already held dear. It revisited some of Arlen's friends from his childhood and the way they had changed from children to adults was an interesting read.
The gap in coming back to the main characters made the book even more tense and made me want to read more and more.
I was confused about the author's opinions on religion, particularly with the scenes between Arlen and Jardir. I have gotten a very negative vibe surrounding religion all throughout the series, but when they were travelling to the core, that seemed flipped on its head.
One part that really struck me was the reaction that Leesha had when she saw her rapist. she relived the moment and still spared the man's life. He was a simple monster that had been implied to have raped other women too. Leesha had a daughter to think about and I think that would have realistically caused her to execute the man, it even said that she wouldn't have been judged for it. Half the time Leesha is holier than thou, although other times she has used her flameworks and poison to kill people... like come on, kill the goddamn rapist. Other than that, this book was almost impossible to put down.
I am excited for the next series and will likely reread the entire series again.
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Pleasure Unbound (Demonica, #1) in Books
Aug 26, 2019 (Updated Sep 3, 2019)
Admittedly it's been a while since I read and enjoyed a paranormal romance but since that's what 75% of my paperbacks are at the minute, I decided to try this series.
And I was pulled in fairly quickly. It was straight into the action at Eidolon's demonic underground hospital in New York dealing with injuries and his brothers. And Tayla--an Aegis, the demons mortal enemy--ends up being one of his patients.
Within the first 25 pages we had a rather steamy sex scene and though I was surprised by the enemies turned lovers actions, I was intrigued on what would end up happening. Would she betray the Aegis for him? Would he defend her against all the demons who wanted her dead?
It was pretty non stop with stuff going on. It wasn't always just from Eidolon and Tayla's POV. We saw the odd scene from someone related to the hospital who was being hunted by the Aegis and I was very anti-Aegis from pretty early on.
"Tayla...she rocked his underworld"
This was a quote from early on in the book but I found it accurate and rather sweet. The romance was rocky, one minute they were all over each other and the next trying to kill each other--literally. I actually really liked the turmoil, the angst, and devoured the book in about two days when I finally just sat down and started it properly.
There is a story arc starting in this one that involves Gem, a half demon, and her want of Kynan, a human, that we see playing out in the occasional scene that has me intrigued and I'm looking forward to seeing how that plays out in the next book.
I have book 2, Desire Unchained, and book 5, Sin Undone, in paperback, too, and look forward to reading them.
And I was pulled in fairly quickly. It was straight into the action at Eidolon's demonic underground hospital in New York dealing with injuries and his brothers. And Tayla--an Aegis, the demons mortal enemy--ends up being one of his patients.
Within the first 25 pages we had a rather steamy sex scene and though I was surprised by the enemies turned lovers actions, I was intrigued on what would end up happening. Would she betray the Aegis for him? Would he defend her against all the demons who wanted her dead?
It was pretty non stop with stuff going on. It wasn't always just from Eidolon and Tayla's POV. We saw the odd scene from someone related to the hospital who was being hunted by the Aegis and I was very anti-Aegis from pretty early on.
"Tayla...she rocked his underworld"
This was a quote from early on in the book but I found it accurate and rather sweet. The romance was rocky, one minute they were all over each other and the next trying to kill each other--literally. I actually really liked the turmoil, the angst, and devoured the book in about two days when I finally just sat down and started it properly.
There is a story arc starting in this one that involves Gem, a half demon, and her want of Kynan, a human, that we see playing out in the occasional scene that has me intrigued and I'm looking forward to seeing how that plays out in the next book.
I have book 2, Desire Unchained, and book 5, Sin Undone, in paperback, too, and look forward to reading them.
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