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Billie Wichkan (118 KP) rated The Stranger Inside in Books
May 22, 2019
Kimber Hannon's belief that she has complete control over her life is shattered the night that she comes home from a trip to find her key no longer opens her front door. There is a stranger living in her house. A stranger who claims he has every right to be there, with the paperwork to prove it. When she confronts the man, he lets her get close enough to whisper, "I was there. I saw what you did."
She doesn't know how he knows her, but with those words Kimber knows this stranger isn't after anything as simple as her money or artwork or charming Craftsman bungalow. She has to find out exactly what he wants and get him out of her carefully orchestrated life before he ruins it.
There are plenty of people in her life who might help, but should Kimber trust any of them? Her lawyer, Gabriel, is also her ex-lover; Diana, her best friend, doesn't know Kimber slept with her husband; her ex-husband has a new, happier life since leaving her; and her co-workers know she'll do anything to get her next sale. And no one can know the real reason this man is in her house. Without trust, everyone's a stranger....
This is a psychological thriller that has plenty of twists and secrets. This book manages to grip you from the very start and doesn't let you go. There are plenty of plots and twists to keep you guessing all the way to the end.
The story is fast paced and well developed characters. The ending of the story will blow your mind.
The plot switches between the two timelines of the past and present and as it does you will learn of secrets and lies.
If you are looking for a suspenseful read then this is the one for you.
Highly Recommend!!
Thank you to NetGalley, Hodder and Stoughton and the author for my free digital ARC.
She doesn't know how he knows her, but with those words Kimber knows this stranger isn't after anything as simple as her money or artwork or charming Craftsman bungalow. She has to find out exactly what he wants and get him out of her carefully orchestrated life before he ruins it.
There are plenty of people in her life who might help, but should Kimber trust any of them? Her lawyer, Gabriel, is also her ex-lover; Diana, her best friend, doesn't know Kimber slept with her husband; her ex-husband has a new, happier life since leaving her; and her co-workers know she'll do anything to get her next sale. And no one can know the real reason this man is in her house. Without trust, everyone's a stranger....
This is a psychological thriller that has plenty of twists and secrets. This book manages to grip you from the very start and doesn't let you go. There are plenty of plots and twists to keep you guessing all the way to the end.
The story is fast paced and well developed characters. The ending of the story will blow your mind.
The plot switches between the two timelines of the past and present and as it does you will learn of secrets and lies.
If you are looking for a suspenseful read then this is the one for you.
Highly Recommend!!
Thank you to NetGalley, Hodder and Stoughton and the author for my free digital ARC.
TheBookMother (105 KP) rated Why Mummy Swears in Books
May 31, 2019
A sweary sequel
I had quickly devoured the previous Why Mummy Drinks and finished this even quicker in less than a day.
It was very similar to the previous book in the series but I was a tad disappointed.
Whilst the first book had a loose story line running through it, this book didn't seem to really go anywhere and there wasn't really anything it led to.
If you hadn't read the first book I think you would struggle to realize who everyone was (they were introduced in first book) and get all of the jokes that had come from the first.
It's set a few years after the first book and Ellen is still juggling family, home, work and Judgy Dog (my fav character!)
The humour was as good as ever but again I found some of it hard to relate to like being able to afford an au pair!
I felt we didn't really go anywhere with Ellen unlike the previous book where she designed and launched a successful app and began to find herself away from her 'mother role' and address the balance issues of work/family.
Again the book deals with some darker topics of parenting most of us know only too well. Judgement and treatment of mothers in the workplace, how society views mother's Vs father's in the workplace and the pressures of being a working mum. It also saw how much strain relationships come under when both spouses are working and raising a young family.
It was a good read but I was slightly disappointed and felt it wasn't as good as the first and was perhaps a bit stagnant.
It was very similar to the previous book in the series but I was a tad disappointed.
Whilst the first book had a loose story line running through it, this book didn't seem to really go anywhere and there wasn't really anything it led to.
If you hadn't read the first book I think you would struggle to realize who everyone was (they were introduced in first book) and get all of the jokes that had come from the first.
It's set a few years after the first book and Ellen is still juggling family, home, work and Judgy Dog (my fav character!)
The humour was as good as ever but again I found some of it hard to relate to like being able to afford an au pair!
I felt we didn't really go anywhere with Ellen unlike the previous book where she designed and launched a successful app and began to find herself away from her 'mother role' and address the balance issues of work/family.
Again the book deals with some darker topics of parenting most of us know only too well. Judgement and treatment of mothers in the workplace, how society views mother's Vs father's in the workplace and the pressures of being a working mum. It also saw how much strain relationships come under when both spouses are working and raising a young family.
It was a good read but I was slightly disappointed and felt it wasn't as good as the first and was perhaps a bit stagnant.
Peter_mark84 (59 KP) rated the PlayStation 4 version of Mafia III in Video Games
May 31, 2019
A Deep and complex protagonist. (3 more)
Nice combination of ideas from other sources worked into a fresh new title.
Amazing soundtrack that feels right for time and the game.
Interesting way to tell the story
Not enough side activities when put next to GTA, Watch Digs or Sleeping Dogs (2 more)
Slower pacing than other games in genre.
Sometimes but repeative
A Thrilling Crime Thriller
Still on progress!
I have been playing Mafia 3 for few hours so far. I do really like this game. Adds something to the genre and is missing from GTA or Sleeping Dogs. That is seeing someone go from War Hero to Crimeload.
So far I am just building the Crime Empire up. But from the moment I saw Lincoln I was drawn in by this character who seems to be falling into the darkness. Much like CJ from GTA San Andreas, Lincoln has a shady past, du to his up bringing. However unlike CJ who was a gang-banger. Lincoln has that Crime Syndicate sense of 'honour' and 'respect'. The characters he meets from good of Father James to Cassandra and the other allies are interesting to meet and get to know.
Game play is interesting, not totally original however combine mechanics from other games makes for a unique experience. The stealth had the best parts of Assassin's Creed being able to lure targets into ambushes. Having visual indicates that the law can see you helps also.
I just wish there was more to do away from the main story. GTA, Watch Dogs and Sleeping Dogs all offer a staggering amount of side quests and activities. Mafia 3 seems a bit more linear, which is sad as the characters and world are well developed and flushed out. Even the missions are interesting if a little samey in parts. Overall I am still playing through this and I am hoping for more twists and turns. The story has me roped in and in an age where there are loads of games out there with great stories. That is important
I have been playing Mafia 3 for few hours so far. I do really like this game. Adds something to the genre and is missing from GTA or Sleeping Dogs. That is seeing someone go from War Hero to Crimeload.
So far I am just building the Crime Empire up. But from the moment I saw Lincoln I was drawn in by this character who seems to be falling into the darkness. Much like CJ from GTA San Andreas, Lincoln has a shady past, du to his up bringing. However unlike CJ who was a gang-banger. Lincoln has that Crime Syndicate sense of 'honour' and 'respect'. The characters he meets from good of Father James to Cassandra and the other allies are interesting to meet and get to know.
Game play is interesting, not totally original however combine mechanics from other games makes for a unique experience. The stealth had the best parts of Assassin's Creed being able to lure targets into ambushes. Having visual indicates that the law can see you helps also.
I just wish there was more to do away from the main story. GTA, Watch Dogs and Sleeping Dogs all offer a staggering amount of side quests and activities. Mafia 3 seems a bit more linear, which is sad as the characters and world are well developed and flushed out. Even the missions are interesting if a little samey in parts. Overall I am still playing through this and I am hoping for more twists and turns. The story has me roped in and in an age where there are loads of games out there with great stories. That is important
p3anut (62 KP) rated the Xbox One version of Dauntless in Video Games
Jun 1, 2019
Customization (2 more)
Hack and slash fun
Voice acting
Beta (1 more)
Tutorial
Dauntless+dash of monster Hunter+ rpg mmo=
I want to start out by saying if it wasn't for Xbox game share I never would have discovered dauntless. I saw my buddy had downloaded it so I decided to give it a go.
At first glance I was a little put off since it was made by epic, had fortnite looking character models and I didn't know anything about the game. And right now I'm a little burnt out on the fortnite craze.
After about 10mins of playtime, I found myself really enjoying the hunting aspect of the game. The monsters are huge and sometimes they have little ones around them that you have to kill before attacking the bigger ones. The battles range from 5min to 30min so far which is pretty nice depending on your time constraints.
The world hub that you visit in between hunts is fairly decent sized and full of human characters. They have this cool little icon feature where you can see if the player is on pc or Xbox. The hub is full of what you would expect from an RPG games as a service title. It has your typical weapon master, grenade master, potions master, and armor master. And of course looped into all of those are micro transactions for skins and dye packs etc.
Which if you're like me you don't really care about customizing the color of your hat etc. Enough to spend actual money on.
I've only played about 4 hrs of dauntless and so far I'm pretty into it. I do feel like eventually the grind will get repetitive but I will update once I have at least 10hrs put into it. As I mentioned in my tags it is in a beta stage so don't be surprised from some lag from time to time or quests not showing on the screen as completed because even tho it doesn't show, it does complete them
At first glance I was a little put off since it was made by epic, had fortnite looking character models and I didn't know anything about the game. And right now I'm a little burnt out on the fortnite craze.
After about 10mins of playtime, I found myself really enjoying the hunting aspect of the game. The monsters are huge and sometimes they have little ones around them that you have to kill before attacking the bigger ones. The battles range from 5min to 30min so far which is pretty nice depending on your time constraints.
The world hub that you visit in between hunts is fairly decent sized and full of human characters. They have this cool little icon feature where you can see if the player is on pc or Xbox. The hub is full of what you would expect from an RPG games as a service title. It has your typical weapon master, grenade master, potions master, and armor master. And of course looped into all of those are micro transactions for skins and dye packs etc.
Which if you're like me you don't really care about customizing the color of your hat etc. Enough to spend actual money on.
I've only played about 4 hrs of dauntless and so far I'm pretty into it. I do feel like eventually the grind will get repetitive but I will update once I have at least 10hrs put into it. As I mentioned in my tags it is in a beta stage so don't be surprised from some lag from time to time or quests not showing on the screen as completed because even tho it doesn't show, it does complete them
Eleanor (1463 KP) rated Avengers: Endgame (2019) in Movies
Jun 5, 2019
Hulk and Thor (1 more)
Little screen time for many favourite characters
Solid end to an epic series.
So back in 2008 (which is 11 years ago at the time of writing - where did the time go!) the film Iron Man came out starring Robert Downey Jr. I loved that film but little did I know at the time that over the course of the next 11 years we’d have such a huge universe created for us by Marvel over a plethora of films culminating in one 3 hour epic film (no consideration for my bladder.) The whole scale of this movie is mind blowing in that context.
This film has plenty of action and lots of homage to the films in the franchise. It does a solid job of tying things off. It's just not going to be one of my favourites (although an improvement on Infinity war.)
Now the Marvel universe has built up a heck of a lot of characters, some I love, some less so but fundamentally we just have too many characters. Trying to cram them into one film is just unwieldy and we lose the sharpness many of the films had. For me, unfortunately this film focuses more of the characters I’m less keen on. The ones I do love, that were front and centre, seemed to have all undergone personality changes to make them terrible. OK I get it seeing half the life in the universe wiped out is going to ruin anyone's mood but the changes we saw in Hulk and Thor were just way off for me. Downey fortunately manages to carry a lot of the film, with some great revisiting of tension between Stark and Cpt. America. Only Rocket seemed vaguely recognisable as a character I love. Many barely get a line in when they do turn up.
The fun that is so evident in most of the best marvel films didn’t feel as present, I just needed more of that Marvel feel before a big huge battle to save the day.
This film has plenty of action and lots of homage to the films in the franchise. It does a solid job of tying things off. It's just not going to be one of my favourites (although an improvement on Infinity war.)
Now the Marvel universe has built up a heck of a lot of characters, some I love, some less so but fundamentally we just have too many characters. Trying to cram them into one film is just unwieldy and we lose the sharpness many of the films had. For me, unfortunately this film focuses more of the characters I’m less keen on. The ones I do love, that were front and centre, seemed to have all undergone personality changes to make them terrible. OK I get it seeing half the life in the universe wiped out is going to ruin anyone's mood but the changes we saw in Hulk and Thor were just way off for me. Downey fortunately manages to carry a lot of the film, with some great revisiting of tension between Stark and Cpt. America. Only Rocket seemed vaguely recognisable as a character I love. Many barely get a line in when they do turn up.
The fun that is so evident in most of the best marvel films didn’t feel as present, I just needed more of that Marvel feel before a big huge battle to save the day.
Caffeinated Fae (464 KP) rated Kingdom of Exiles (The Beast Charmer, #1) in Books
Jun 6, 2019
If you read one fantasy romance this year, make it this one!
When I saw this book up for review on Bookish First, I knew then and there I needed to read it. Fantasy and romance are my favorite genres, so I knew I needed to pick up this book immediately. I was fortunate enough to have enough points to guarantee me a spot on the ARC review team, and I waited not so patiently to get this book.
When this book arrived, I nearly fell over in excitement simply because the cover is so incredibly beautiful. I couldn't wait to dive in & see if the story lived up to the cover. Fortunately for me, the story was gorgeous. Kingdom of Exiles is the first book in the Beast Charmer series, and it set up a beautiful world that I can't wait to explore in more books. The description of the world itself is enough to keep me coming back. Maxym M. Martineau knows how to make it feel like you're there exploring the cities and forests side by side with the characters.
Not only were the descriptions on point, but the characters had depth. Each character was well written and added fantastic elements to the story. They each had a reason to be there, and I loved seeing the chemistry between Leena & Noc. Leena's character arc was probably one of my favorite storylines that I have read this year. I felt so deeply for her. It was as if she was my best friend. I rooted for her, I cried for her, and I laughed with her. I also really loved Noc. He was a mystery that I wanted to solve. I enjoyed each character and loved the relationship between all of them.
All in all, this is one of my favorite books that I have read this year. The characters were well developed, and the plot was fun and unique. I loved everything about it. If you like fantasy & romance, this is the book for you.
When this book arrived, I nearly fell over in excitement simply because the cover is so incredibly beautiful. I couldn't wait to dive in & see if the story lived up to the cover. Fortunately for me, the story was gorgeous. Kingdom of Exiles is the first book in the Beast Charmer series, and it set up a beautiful world that I can't wait to explore in more books. The description of the world itself is enough to keep me coming back. Maxym M. Martineau knows how to make it feel like you're there exploring the cities and forests side by side with the characters.
Not only were the descriptions on point, but the characters had depth. Each character was well written and added fantastic elements to the story. They each had a reason to be there, and I loved seeing the chemistry between Leena & Noc. Leena's character arc was probably one of my favorite storylines that I have read this year. I felt so deeply for her. It was as if she was my best friend. I rooted for her, I cried for her, and I laughed with her. I also really loved Noc. He was a mystery that I wanted to solve. I enjoyed each character and loved the relationship between all of them.
All in all, this is one of my favorite books that I have read this year. The characters were well developed, and the plot was fun and unique. I loved everything about it. If you like fantasy & romance, this is the book for you.
Andy K (10823 KP) rated Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) in Movies
Jun 10, 2019
A whole new universe of Spideys!
Finally got around to watching this after reading lots of great reviews and it really delivered.
Having not known anything about the Miles Morales storyline or origin story, I was excited going into this without much prescreen knowledge (which doesn't happen much these days).
Basically a Brooklyn teenager gets bit by the that darn radioactive spider and then starts to exhibit his own Spidey traits after the original Peter Parker is killed in action. Much to the surprise of Miles, another wisecracking out of shape Peter shows up and says he's from another alternate universe or something where things are different. Eventually, Spider-Gwen, Spider-Man Noir, Peni Parker, and Spider-Ham also arrive to take on the Kingpin and a female version of Doc Ock to try and save the Earth from destruction.
The humor in the film is rally good. I guess I would say equivalent to a PG version of Deadpool with lots of wisecracks and sarcasm. My kind of screenplay. While not necessarily made for adults, I think both young and not so young would enjoy the fast pace of the film with very few dull spots.
They don't focus very much on the Peter Parker origin which is great since we have seen this already many times within the last few incarnations of the character. It's actually kind of amusing the way the keep repeating it in slightly different ways when the new Spideys emerge. The colors are bright and vibrant (I only saw in 2D) and the environments and backgrounds are interesting and complex which makes you dazzle for the cinematic eye candy for sure.
Due to the success critically as well as box office cred, it looks like this is the beginning of a franchise which is all right by me. I would highly recommend.
Having not known anything about the Miles Morales storyline or origin story, I was excited going into this without much prescreen knowledge (which doesn't happen much these days).
Basically a Brooklyn teenager gets bit by the that darn radioactive spider and then starts to exhibit his own Spidey traits after the original Peter Parker is killed in action. Much to the surprise of Miles, another wisecracking out of shape Peter shows up and says he's from another alternate universe or something where things are different. Eventually, Spider-Gwen, Spider-Man Noir, Peni Parker, and Spider-Ham also arrive to take on the Kingpin and a female version of Doc Ock to try and save the Earth from destruction.
The humor in the film is rally good. I guess I would say equivalent to a PG version of Deadpool with lots of wisecracks and sarcasm. My kind of screenplay. While not necessarily made for adults, I think both young and not so young would enjoy the fast pace of the film with very few dull spots.
They don't focus very much on the Peter Parker origin which is great since we have seen this already many times within the last few incarnations of the character. It's actually kind of amusing the way the keep repeating it in slightly different ways when the new Spideys emerge. The colors are bright and vibrant (I only saw in 2D) and the environments and backgrounds are interesting and complex which makes you dazzle for the cinematic eye candy for sure.
Due to the success critically as well as box office cred, it looks like this is the beginning of a franchise which is all right by me. I would highly recommend.
ArecRain (8 KP) rated Corralled (Blacktop Cowboys, #1) in Books
Jan 18, 2018
Cowboy rodeo erotica? You have my interest. From the moment I saw this book on goodreads bookswap, I could not wait to read it. I love me some erotica. Add some cowboys in the mix and I am happy as a clam. Until I read it.
Because I dont really have much to say about this book, here goes.
The good: the erotic scenes, the character development, the dialogue,
the writing
The bad: the plot (which bored me senseless), the favoritism
The ugly: the situation
While there is nothing actually wrong with the novel, I just could not get into it. James has a great easy style to read. The erotic scenes were great, some of the best I have read, especially when dealing with such an awkward situation. And oh was it awkward. The dialogue was realistic and had me not only laughing, but cringing as well. The characters and the emotions were also very believable. I found myself becoming attached to them
The plot seemed a little lackluster, however. I will gave James points for having one of the few erotic novels with a well developed plot in the first place. As I said before, however, it was just not a story I was interested in. It was clear from the beginning who the lead female was going to end up with. I dont think James did it on purpose, but her clear favoritism for one man over the other was apparent from the beginning.
This was not an easy book to read in the first place due to the circumstances of the love triangle. All of the ménage a trios novels I have read before, the couples were into it as a threesome. In this novel, two men are vying the attention and love of one woman. It was awkward at best, especially since the men were childhood friends.
Because I dont really have much to say about this book, here goes.
The good: the erotic scenes, the character development, the dialogue,
the writing
The bad: the plot (which bored me senseless), the favoritism
The ugly: the situation
While there is nothing actually wrong with the novel, I just could not get into it. James has a great easy style to read. The erotic scenes were great, some of the best I have read, especially when dealing with such an awkward situation. And oh was it awkward. The dialogue was realistic and had me not only laughing, but cringing as well. The characters and the emotions were also very believable. I found myself becoming attached to them
The plot seemed a little lackluster, however. I will gave James points for having one of the few erotic novels with a well developed plot in the first place. As I said before, however, it was just not a story I was interested in. It was clear from the beginning who the lead female was going to end up with. I dont think James did it on purpose, but her clear favoritism for one man over the other was apparent from the beginning.
This was not an easy book to read in the first place due to the circumstances of the love triangle. All of the ménage a trios novels I have read before, the couples were into it as a threesome. In this novel, two men are vying the attention and love of one woman. It was awkward at best, especially since the men were childhood friends.
Kyera (8 KP) rated The Geek's Guide to Unrequited Love in Books
Feb 1, 2018
The Geeks Guide to Unrequited Love is a fandom-lovers dream, minus the unrequited love. The story takes place predominantly at New York Comic Con, the second largest convention of pop culture fanatics (myself included) in the United States. You can tell that the author is either very familiar with the area from personal experience, or questioned a con-goer to get every detail. She mentions things like the cell service being spotty in the Artists Alley (it is) and the atmosphere you experience on the way to the Con. Its so fascinating to be walking the streets for a while when suddenly you notice a Spider-Man strolling out of a bakery, not too long after a group of wizards turn the corner and before you know it youre surrounded by a horde of enthusiastic, frequently costumed, nerds, geeks and fans of all ages outside the Javitts Center, where NYCC is held.
The atmosphere was authentic and made me feel like I was attending the Con as well, although that may be in part because Ive attended NYCC before I do believe that any reader will feel just as immersed. The world was the most enjoyable part of the book, as the characters were not as developed as they could have been. There were moments of clarity where you saw more into their motivations, but overall they werent memorable characters. Thats not to say there was anything wrong with them, they just didnt affect me as a reader.
It was an easy, enjoyable contemporary read that I think is perfect for young adult/teen readers who are fans of something and enjoy books that they can relate to on that level. You dont have to be a comic book or superhero fan to enjoy Comic Con, it is a refuge and a consolidation of all fandoms. If you love something, you will find something you can relate to at Comic Con and in this book.
The atmosphere was authentic and made me feel like I was attending the Con as well, although that may be in part because Ive attended NYCC before I do believe that any reader will feel just as immersed. The world was the most enjoyable part of the book, as the characters were not as developed as they could have been. There were moments of clarity where you saw more into their motivations, but overall they werent memorable characters. Thats not to say there was anything wrong with them, they just didnt affect me as a reader.
It was an easy, enjoyable contemporary read that I think is perfect for young adult/teen readers who are fans of something and enjoy books that they can relate to on that level. You dont have to be a comic book or superhero fan to enjoy Comic Con, it is a refuge and a consolidation of all fandoms. If you love something, you will find something you can relate to at Comic Con and in this book.
Dakota Morrill (17 KP) rated Horizon Zero Dawn in Video Games
Mar 4, 2018
Post Apocalypse without zombies and gangs
Where do I start on this game?
When I first saw it was announced, I was hyped. Then my hype died upon seeing gameplay and as time went by. I eventually decided I was going to take a risk and play it upon release. The next 3 days I was nowhere to be found as I put 50 hours into the game. Its so easy to fall in love with the characters and become invested in the story while still getting happily lost in the vast open world of post-apocalyptic Utah.
Even when you finish the main game, there are very likely plenty of side missions (many of which are unique in their own right) to complete. I first discovered an enemy AFTER I'd beaten the main game and had to figure out which method of attack would be best to tackle the beast. There is so much variety in your attacks from tying enemies down and running at them with your spear to tearblasting their armor off and hitting some carefully placed precision arrows. My favorite takedown is shooting the blaze canisters on enemies' bodies with fire arrows and watching as they detonate with a big kaboom.
I had to really think about what would keep this game from being a 10/10 and I realized that there are some enemies that just got on the nerves. Oftentimes Glinthawks would never come near the group and would constantly be moving, shooting ice at you. I had to learn through a mission a good way into the game that Glinthawks are susceptible to fire which will knock them down pretty quickly for some spear attacks. Also, the wonderful Ashley Burch's voice would often sound much differently than it would if they went by the mouth movements that Aloy made.
When I first saw it was announced, I was hyped. Then my hype died upon seeing gameplay and as time went by. I eventually decided I was going to take a risk and play it upon release. The next 3 days I was nowhere to be found as I put 50 hours into the game. Its so easy to fall in love with the characters and become invested in the story while still getting happily lost in the vast open world of post-apocalyptic Utah.
Even when you finish the main game, there are very likely plenty of side missions (many of which are unique in their own right) to complete. I first discovered an enemy AFTER I'd beaten the main game and had to figure out which method of attack would be best to tackle the beast. There is so much variety in your attacks from tying enemies down and running at them with your spear to tearblasting their armor off and hitting some carefully placed precision arrows. My favorite takedown is shooting the blaze canisters on enemies' bodies with fire arrows and watching as they detonate with a big kaboom.
I had to really think about what would keep this game from being a 10/10 and I realized that there are some enemies that just got on the nerves. Oftentimes Glinthawks would never come near the group and would constantly be moving, shooting ice at you. I had to learn through a mission a good way into the game that Glinthawks are susceptible to fire which will knock them down pretty quickly for some spear attacks. Also, the wonderful Ashley Burch's voice would often sound much differently than it would if they went by the mouth movements that Aloy made.
