Search

Search only in certain items:

The Ranch Hand and the Single Dad (Farthingdale Ranch #3)
The Ranch Hand and the Single Dad (Farthingdale Ranch #3)
Jackie North | 2021 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
10
10.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
THE RANCH HAND AND THE SINGLE DAD is the third book in the Farthingdale Ranch series, and I would recommend you read them as a series simply because of how wonderful these stories are.

Austin has been put through the wringer by his delight of an ex-wife, and he has to cope with not having full custody of his daughter. He is unsure of who he is or what he wants, but he finds peace at Farthingdale Ranch due to his friendship with Clay.

Clay thinks that one-night stands are all he needs and doesn't always say what he wants. With the help and encouragement of Austin, Clay realises that life could be so much more than just a hookup.

This was a brilliant low-angst read with a slow-burn romance that filled me to the brim with warm fuzzies. I loved seeing the previous couples and seeing how their romances were going whilst still enjoying the spotlight on the main pair. And, of course, using recycled wisdom is some of the best advice you can give or receive!

A fantastic addition to the series, I would still recommend you read this as a series to ensure you don't miss out on any of the previous couples. For now, though, I can highly recommend Austin and Clay's story.

** 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!
Jul 27, 2021
  
American Reunion (2012)
American Reunion (2012)
2012 | Comedy, Romance
Alot of time has passed since 1999, and in that time there have been a long line of spin off American Pie films, if you don’t count the sequel and American Pie: The Wedding. Of those films only Jim’s Dad (Eugene Levy) has starred in every single one, so it was brilliant to see all the old gang back together again, and how we have missed them all.

The gang is back together – but was it worth it?
Grown up and with adult lives, they head back to where it all began for a high school reunion which of course involves a whole heap of laughter, and there is plenty of that.

Jim and Michelle are now married with a small child and stuck in a rut of a no sex marriage, Oz now a hot shot sports reporter has trouble controlling his high maintenance girlfriend. Kevin is seemingly happy as a house husband and Finch is still very much the enigma of the group, and then of course there’s Stifler, probably the only character not to have changed at all.

There are some outrageous moments, right from the opening scene, even giving a hint of what is going to happen would suck any laughter out of you so for that I am not going to reveal too much. Let’s just say it is once again Jim who pretty much steals the show.

The group start to look at themselves and realise that they are very much all grown up with things never able to be the same again, as Jim harshly points out to Stifler in one scene.

There is through all the hilarity some touching moments, in particularly featuring Jim’s Dad who is getting over the passing of his wife and takes some advice from Jim himself to get back onto the dating horse. This of course results in some more outlandish behaviour at another Stifler party.

The American Pie franchise is very much an icon of teenage angst, at least for those films that matter to us. I doubt anyone would have sat through any of the American Pie Presents films.

American Reunion manages to get the whole cast back together, even if they are only on screen for a brief few minutes its like seeing an old friend once again. It’s almost as if we can resonate with every character and are pleased that their lives have turned out or are going to turn out for the better.

The film climaxes with a killer piece of revenge courtesy of Stifler, one which in the back of our minds we knew was coming and involves a well cast cameo.

It might not be everyone’s chosen comedy of 2012, but its sure as hell going to be up there!
  
Earning His Trust
Earning His Trust
Alicia Nordwell | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Earning His Trust by Alicia Nordwell
Earning His Trust tells the story of Evin. He is a single dad due to his partner being in the wrong place at the wrong time. He is having a hard time of it, and just does his best to get by from day to day. Things go wrong when he severely burns his hand, and has to go to the hospital. There he receives another shock when he is treated by his ex-boyfriend, quite literally the one who got away. Ben is also shocked when he sees Evin, and wonders what has happened in his life to make him change from how Ben remembered him. So Ben makes it his mission to reunite with Evin, only as friends if need by, but hopefully more as Ben has never stopped loving him.

This was a great second chance novel that gives a lot detail in some area, but not so much in others. There is no explanation of why Ben disappeared without a trace, apart from he didn't think it would work. There's no explanation of how Daniel died, apart from he go shot. And Evin quickly decides to let Ben in, which came as a bit of a surprise given how much he had been hurt in the past.

Still, overall, this was a very good story, that kept my attention throughout. There were no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading flow. I would recommend this book.

* 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!
  
Nativity Rocks! (2018)
Nativity Rocks! (2018)
2018 | Comedy
4
5.0 (3 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Another disappointing sequel
The original Nativity movie is a huge Christmas favourite in the Boardman household. It's one of the first seasonal Blu-ray's to get played each year, along with the soundtrack too. The second and third movie are thought of nowhere near as highly though. I managed to sleep through most of one of them at the cinema, and just got bored and angry at the other. My daughter on the other hand, likes all of them. So, me being the dutiful dad, decided to go along with her to see the latest offering, Nativity Rocks!

Simply put, this sits somewhere between number 2 and 3 in terms of awfulness. There isn't a single remaining original cast member, and all of what made the original movie so enjoyable is now completely lost. The thing about this one is that it is even more muddled than previous movies. There is so much going on, so many plot threads quickly introduced that nothing ever gets explored enough. Leaping from scene to scene, to the point where you don't have enough time to care about any of them. There's a story about Syrian refugees and a Syrian father and son getting separated, a boy whose parents are so caught up with work that they're neglecting him, homelessness, not to mention all the school nativity stuff. So many famous faces cropping up too and all needing their screen time. Then suddenly, right at the end they put on a big nativity show, making you wonder how on earth they had time to plan and rehearse any of it!

Luckily, my daughter agreed that this wasn't very good so even if they decide to keep churning these out, at least I won't have to go and see them.
  
40x40

Ross (3282 KP) Nov 26, 2018

These films have been rubbish since they stopped putting Tim from The Office in them.