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Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Bare-Knuckle Love (Rabid Mongrels MC #1) in Books
Jan 8, 2021
I've been having a hard time getting into books lately--both paperback and e-book--so I decided to go and download some free short stories of Amazon, and this was one of them.
Admittedly, I'm a little wary of what they might be like. I've read some good freebies and I've read some pretty bad freebies. Luckily this falls into the first category for me.
First off, it made me cry twice. That very rarely happens in most M/M stories I read and the fact that it's rather dark in places--more like patches--makes it extra unusual. But I really liked their story and how their romance came about. Anyway, the first time was the dog thing. The second, it was Jason's thought in the last fight.
Secondly. There was a darkness to it but I really liked Hyde. The way he sort of tried to stop too bad a thing happening to Jason after he lost them the money made me melt a little. It was sweet. He might have been President of the MC but he wasn't an altogether bad guy.
Thirdly. Just how despite it being a short story I was a sucker for the romance between these two guys.
I look forward to more instalments with these two.
Admittedly, I'm a little wary of what they might be like. I've read some good freebies and I've read some pretty bad freebies. Luckily this falls into the first category for me.
First off, it made me cry twice. That very rarely happens in most M/M stories I read and the fact that it's rather dark in places--more like patches--makes it extra unusual. But I really liked their story and how their romance came about. Anyway, the first time was the dog thing. The second, it was Jason's thought in the last fight.
Secondly. There was a darkness to it but I really liked Hyde. The way he sort of tried to stop too bad a thing happening to Jason after he lost them the money made me melt a little. It was sweet. He might have been President of the MC but he wasn't an altogether bad guy.
Thirdly. Just how despite it being a short story I was a sucker for the romance between these two guys.
I look forward to more instalments with these two.

Cyn Armistead (14 KP) rated First Drop of Crimson (Night Huntress World, #1) in Books
Feb 23, 2018
Every review I've read has been bad. Honestly, this novel was no better or worse than any of Frost's other books, in my opinions. The main complaint I've seen is that the book isn't about Cat and Bones. Well, their story has pretty much been told in the four Night Huntress novels, and now Frost is moving on to other people in that world.
Given, I was never terribly attached to Cat or Bones, and apparently some fans were. I would advise them to write fan fiction or roleplay or do whatever it is that other obsessive fans do when their favorite authors stop writing about their favorite characters rather than writing negative reviews of Frost's newer fiction because they want it to be more like her older books. (<b>Please</b> note that I have absolutely no idea what Frost's position on such things is, and would strongly recommend querying her or her authorized representative on the matter before acting. Some authors are fine with fanfic/RPing, and some are rabidly against both. I can think of examples who go to extremes each way.)
While Denise never made a big impression on me while reading the NH books, it is nice to find out what happened to her after her husband was slaughtered and her life was screwed up so badly. While minor characters are often affected in Very Bad Ways during the course of paranormal romance novels, we seldom see them getting any kind of compensation. And who could possibly compensate anyone for the loss of a loved one, anyway?
That said, this is not a fantasy novel. Sometimes I waver on how a "paranormal romance" novel should be classified, but that isn't the case here. This is a romance with urban fantasy features tossed in. There's a damsel in distress saved by a hero. There's an obstacle to be overcome before they can be together, blah blah blah. The whole formula is there.
It doesn't suck terribly, but I don't recommend it to anyone who doesn't already like the setting to some extent. If you truly hate the romance formula, don't bother with this one.
Given, I was never terribly attached to Cat or Bones, and apparently some fans were. I would advise them to write fan fiction or roleplay or do whatever it is that other obsessive fans do when their favorite authors stop writing about their favorite characters rather than writing negative reviews of Frost's newer fiction because they want it to be more like her older books. (<b>Please</b> note that I have absolutely no idea what Frost's position on such things is, and would strongly recommend querying her or her authorized representative on the matter before acting. Some authors are fine with fanfic/RPing, and some are rabidly against both. I can think of examples who go to extremes each way.)
While Denise never made a big impression on me while reading the NH books, it is nice to find out what happened to her after her husband was slaughtered and her life was screwed up so badly. While minor characters are often affected in Very Bad Ways during the course of paranormal romance novels, we seldom see them getting any kind of compensation. And who could possibly compensate anyone for the loss of a loved one, anyway?
That said, this is not a fantasy novel. Sometimes I waver on how a "paranormal romance" novel should be classified, but that isn't the case here. This is a romance with urban fantasy features tossed in. There's a damsel in distress saved by a hero. There's an obstacle to be overcome before they can be together, blah blah blah. The whole formula is there.
It doesn't suck terribly, but I don't recommend it to anyone who doesn't already like the setting to some extent. If you truly hate the romance formula, don't bother with this one.

Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Book Club (2018) in Movies
Sep 25, 2019
There's a clear divide about this film, as was very evident about the feedback. In almost all instances the women loved it and the men hated it. And in this instance (like some others... don't get me started ;) ) men are wrong. With four fantastic actresses they would have had to do a really terrible job for this to come out as a bad film.
When this one comes out on DVD I will be pairing it with First Wives Club and having a very entertaining evening in front of the box.
It's a solid comedy, with some romance thrown in... and woman or man... you'll finish watching that film and be a little in love with Andy Garcia.
When this one comes out on DVD I will be pairing it with First Wives Club and having a very entertaining evening in front of the box.
It's a solid comedy, with some romance thrown in... and woman or man... you'll finish watching that film and be a little in love with Andy Garcia.

The Regrets
Book
Thomas meets Rachel in a bit of an unconventional situation. He is dead. They are drawn to each...

Variant Lost (The Evelyn Maynard Trilogy #1)
Book
When Evelyn Maynard receives a scholarship to the exclusive Bradford Hills Institute, she’s...

graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated Rising Darkness (Dark Enchantments #2) in Books
Feb 15, 2019
I'm having trouble forming sentences from my thoughts so I'm just going to list them instead. :)
Emma and Damien were likable enough characters, even if their 'woe is me' routines got a bit annoying, luckily that got progressively better as the book went on. My main problem was that their romance took a bit of a backseat to the curse and vampires and I didn't quite buy it at the end.
The concept of the Cadre was interesting and I'd like to read the other Dark Enchantment books for an expansion on the organization.
Some scenes were rather graphic and took me a bit by surprise because I don't usually find those things in a Silhouette book, but they weren't such a big deal.
The writing was very good, even if some spots were a tad boring, and I'll be sure to look for more Cynthia Cooke books in the future.
Overall it's not the best paranormal romance I've read, but it kept my interest and entertained me all the same.
3.5 stars
Emma and Damien were likable enough characters, even if their 'woe is me' routines got a bit annoying, luckily that got progressively better as the book went on. My main problem was that their romance took a bit of a backseat to the curse and vampires and I didn't quite buy it at the end.
The concept of the Cadre was interesting and I'd like to read the other Dark Enchantment books for an expansion on the organization.
Some scenes were rather graphic and took me a bit by surprise because I don't usually find those things in a Silhouette book, but they weren't such a big deal.
The writing was very good, even if some spots were a tad boring, and I'll be sure to look for more Cynthia Cooke books in the future.
Overall it's not the best paranormal romance I've read, but it kept my interest and entertained me all the same.
3.5 stars

Sean Farrell (9 KP) rated Slipstream (A Crisis of Two Worlds, #1) in Books
Mar 15, 2018
After my playthrough of the "Mass Effect" trilogy of video games wound up as a tragically optimistic, sci-fi, gay love story; I decided to look into finding some gay sci-fi romance fiction and stumbled upon this title. I have to say I am glad I did. This book is by no means perfect; there are a few questionable character decisions and some of the dialogue just doesn't feel like something that people in the age group represented would ever actually say, but despite those flaws, this still wound up being a highly entertaining read. The romance elements are kept somewhat to a minimum, which actually works better for me, but when they do arise they are indeed pretty romantic and about 90% believable. The sci-fi / fantasy / adventure elements are more pronounced and while they can stretch credulity a bit more regularly, they were more than suitably exciting enough to allow for the requisite suspension of disbelief. It ends satisfactorily while still leaving quite a lot to be resolved in the sequel, which I can say I look forward to reading.

Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Deadly Curiosities in Books
Jan 6, 2021
DNF at 60%.
The cover grabbed me and the synopsis made me think this could be quite a fun read.It turned out it took a lot of reading. That’s not to say it was bad or anything, for me it was just okay; nothing special. I just prefer shorter books. And ones with less description. (I’m probably the only one who feels like that!)
And for them to have at least a bit of romance in them. By the half way point I’d given up on anything romantic happening. There wasn’t the slightest whiff of it at all. I like a bit of action in stories but I love it when it ends in some sexual tension between characters and there was nil. I’m a romance reader and I, wrongly, assumed that this would be like every other UF book I’ve read where there would be some romance mixed in the storyline.
Getting past the lack of romance, I liked the abilities of Cassidy and Teag. It was a refreshing change to read about something different. Not that I don’t love my shifters and vampires but every so often it’s nice to get a different take on things and seeing the history of items when you touch them and being able to piece together information on the internet and through books as a Weaver were definitely new to me.
I must confess that the lack of romance in the book put me off and I struggled to become interested in the storyline. I’m not the biggest fan of ghost stories and I’m no history buff so having to read all the back story of the Charleston really put me off.
Being honest, I have to say that this wasn’t my sort of book at all but if you like urban fantasy books with lots of description/back story with the occasional flashbacks and no romance, then this is likely perfect for you.
The cover grabbed me and the synopsis made me think this could be quite a fun read.It turned out it took a lot of reading. That’s not to say it was bad or anything, for me it was just okay; nothing special. I just prefer shorter books. And ones with less description. (I’m probably the only one who feels like that!)
And for them to have at least a bit of romance in them. By the half way point I’d given up on anything romantic happening. There wasn’t the slightest whiff of it at all. I like a bit of action in stories but I love it when it ends in some sexual tension between characters and there was nil. I’m a romance reader and I, wrongly, assumed that this would be like every other UF book I’ve read where there would be some romance mixed in the storyline.
Getting past the lack of romance, I liked the abilities of Cassidy and Teag. It was a refreshing change to read about something different. Not that I don’t love my shifters and vampires but every so often it’s nice to get a different take on things and seeing the history of items when you touch them and being able to piece together information on the internet and through books as a Weaver were definitely new to me.
I must confess that the lack of romance in the book put me off and I struggled to become interested in the storyline. I’m not the biggest fan of ghost stories and I’m no history buff so having to read all the back story of the Charleston really put me off.
Being honest, I have to say that this wasn’t my sort of book at all but if you like urban fantasy books with lots of description/back story with the occasional flashbacks and no romance, then this is likely perfect for you.

Paper Collage Chinese Style: .
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This beautifully illustrated guide to Chinese paper collage art demonstrates the techniques and...

Pieces of You (Missing Pieces #1)
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Dallas Muller has everything he never expected he’d have. He owns a successful motorbike mechanic...
Contemporary MM Romance