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The Intoxicating Mr Lavelle
The Intoxicating Mr Lavelle
Neil Blackmore | 2020 | Fiction & Poetry, LGBTQ+, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Intoxicating Mr Lavelle rather intoxicated me, if I’m honest. It’s one of those witty yet heart-rending books that I didn’t want to stop listening to.
Ben Aldridge, the narrator, did his part so well. I believed that he was each of the separate characters - he made each of them sound so different, and he especially made Lavelle sound just how I would have imagined him to.
Two brothers, Benjamin and Edgar are on what is probably the most exciting and daunting trip of their young lives - a Grand Tour of Europe. It was what all the well-heeled young men and women would do at the time, in the hope that they’d make good business and, you never know, romantic connections. However, it quickly becomes apparent that the Bowen brothers are looked down on as being of the mercantile class. This horrified me as a modern day reader. Firstly, that two sheltered, innocent boys should be sent out to travel across Europe alone (must be the ‘Mother of Sons’ in me), secondly, that the upper classes were so bloody rude! They had the power to destroy someone with just a word. I could have scooped these boys up and taken them home, just to remove them from these horrendous people.
This is also the story of Benjamin’s self discovery. He meets and falls in love with Horace Lavelle at a time when men could be hanged as a ‘sodomite’. The author is upfront at the start that he had taken some liberties with this book. Homosexuality was illegal. No-one would take a chance of showing that they were gay. And there is that element of danger, of being found out, in this book despite those liberties.
But it’s such a lovely book - I wanted Benjamin to be happy, and I could see the potential for a train wreck ahead. And that’s all I’ll say! What I will say, is that this is a novel well worth your time!
  
Fantasy by Chloe MK
Fantasy by Chloe MK
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Album Rating
chloe mk is a talented singer-songwriter based in New York. Not too long ago, she released a music video for her “David Bowie” single.

“This song, it’s not about being in love but it could be. Or, it could just be about having someone in your life that means so much to you and then losing them and the effect of that. We were like, how does this translate and relate to the digital elements of the EP and to the visual element of this futuristic, but early-2000s aesthetic. With the TV, when I put my hands up to the screen, I’m being like, taken into the digital realm. Then, in the car with all the numbers flying by, I’m just in this car with like, my matrix friends (laughs). It was this teleportation and signifying being stuck inside and being lost in the sauce with technology.” – chloe mk via refinery29

‘David Bowie’ tells an emotional tale of a young woman who struggles to cope with her mental wellbeing after an affectionate breakup with her significant other.

Apparently, she’s losing her mind thinking about all the time she wasted on an individual who isn’t around anymore.

Even though she can’t wait forever for her ex’s return, she still wishes she could feel this person’s warm embrace one last time for old times’ sake.

Nashville native chloe mk initially cut her teeth by playing classic rock in small clubs and bars before making her way on to NBC’s The Voice.
She emerged victorious on the show in 2017, inked a deal with Republic Records, and established herself as an artist to watch.

Her brand navigates what it means to be young in the digital age and the vast range of emotions that come along with it. Also, her music captures the journey towards self-discovery.

‘David Bowie’ is featured on chloe mk’s debut EP, entitled, “Fantasy”.
  
Superwoman
Superwoman
Sinead Flynn | 2016 | Fiction & Poetry
6
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
I enjoyed how the book acknowledges the superhuman strength it takes to overcome mental illness, even a circumstantial one. (0 more)
What I didn’t like was that I felt like Louise’s discovery of the criminal was extremely anti-climatic and would have liked to know more about that situation. (0 more)
Honest Review for Free Copy of Book
Superwoman by Sinead Flynn is a story about the strength it takes to pull out of depression and the amount of support it requires. While it can’t be called heartwarming, it can provide hope to those in similar situations.

 Louise might not have her dream job yet, because she is still undecided as to just what her dream job would be, but she has basically everything else she could want. She has a good job that pays the bills, good friends, and even shares an apartment with one of them. She is happy and content in her life, or so she believes. Then comes “that morning”, the day when just going about her job turns her life upside down. Now things are difficult for Louise. She no longer has a job due to the recession, yet she still has bills to pay. There is no way she will be able to get a job in her present state considering all she does is take medication, sleep, and refuses to leave the apartment.

  Slowly she gets worse and worse until one day while her roommate is away she almost burns down the apartment because she falls asleep while cooking. Thankfully her friends have her back even with her alienating them, and they arrange for her to go back home to be cared for by her parents. However, Louise seems to have given up, labeling the real world as too scary. Will it be possible for the unconditional love of her parents to “snap her out of it” or will she stay safely hidden away in the back bedroom for the rest of her life?

 I enjoyed how the book acknowledges the superhuman strength it takes to overcome mental illness, even a circumstantial one. These circumstantial illnesses often seem to be over-the-top reactions to a negative event and are rarely talked about. What I didn’t like was that I felt like Louise’s discovery of the criminal was extremely anti-climatic and would have liked to know more about that situation. The person the criminal was found with was surprising and readers are left to speculate why they were even together.

 This book is directed more towards adults, and people who trigger easily should probably think twice about picking it up. It has a large focus on depression, anxiety, and self-loathing after one morning that turns a woman’s life upside down. I rate this book 2 out of 4. The book describes a tough subject very well. Unfortunately once I got to Part 2 (page 120 of 145) the book fell apart. I mean to say it felt unbelievably rushed, there is a lot of important things that happen in the last 25 pages that just get glossed over.

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Blood Crescent
Blood Crescent
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
In this magical, and quite ambitious, story Stevie McCoy delves into the mystical world of
Blood Crescent where main character realises her missing mother may still be alive and her own life is not what she thought it was. Big time! What they wanted from her mother, they now want from her. But who are ‘they’?

To begin with Blood Crescent has a surreal, hazy, yet mystical feel to it, as the mysterious Crystal slowly comes to grips with what is happening to her forcing her to embark on a fantastical and multi-layered journey of self-discovery and adventure.

As the story unfolded, I was transported into another realm where I met some amazing characters. Angel Aishlin with her witchy ways, and the (adorable) anti-hero Victor are just two characters who leapt right out of the pages and into my heart! Not only that, but I felt that this is ventured into the vampire world with a unique slant. You’ve heard of people being called ’emotional vampires’ right? There the sort of people who drain your energy by just being in the same room as them, because they’re for some reason, negative or miserable. Well this book takes that idea and runs with it. Like energy draining vampires who can suck out any goodness in your aura, just because they can. But of course, in this world it’s not that simple. And for good reason, too!

Overall I have the feeling this is the start of a vast universe, with complex rules and therefore has the capacity to branch off in so many directions, this could the first of a long-running series, and would make great viewing on the box. In fact, I watched these characters play out their roles in my head as if it were already on the TV! There’s an intense, dark atmosphere to this story where the surreal meets a reality not unlike our own… if we are to believe there’s more to life than what we can see. And why shouldn’t there be?

A rich tapestry of characters in a world where there is so much more to be discovered. I’m looking forward to continuing this adventure!