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Midge (525 KP) rated Playing with Fire in Books
Jan 29, 2019
Full of drama, romance and hot desire (2 more)
Good character development
Great plot
A Great, Spicy Romance Novella!
Wow, Jen Talty is straight into all of the action and keeps it coming with this thrilling romance novella, set in Lake George, New York. It is a delightful story that has a bit of everything, from drama and hot desire to tension and conflict, there is something for everyone.
I really like that, in the opening chapter, we are introduced to hot and sexy fire-fighter, Cade Nash. Next, we meet his gorgeous new neighbour, but Heather Holbrook is a dentist and Cade has a deep-rooted fear of dentists, dating back to a bad experience from his childhood. Cade loves to help people in their hour of need so when Heather’s car has a flat battery and she needs a jump-start, he is there to assist.
Heather has recently divorced and is trying to start over in her new neighbourhood. After leaving her abusive husband, she just wants a happy, quiet life. You could immediately sense that there was an intense physical attraction between Cade and Heather and one of the highlights of the book was following how they dealt with their emotionally-charged feelings for one another. After some problems with her ex-husband, Heather is forced to rely on Cade more than she would have chosen to, until he oversteps the mark, although his main goal was to protect her. Can Heather forgive him?
I thought both the plot and the character development were great and found the story-line to be very believable. The story is well-told, captivating and engaging. It held my interest right from the beginning and I found myself rooting for both Heather and Cade as they tried to deal with all of their conflicting emotions. This was a short, fast-paced read with plenty of action, some suspense and lots of lust and love. I enjoyed their instant attraction and the banter between them and I laughed-out-loud a few times while reading it. I thought the ending was very appropriate for this great novella.
I have been inspired to read more from Jen Talty and I highly recommend "Playing With Fire."
Thank you to Hidden Gems and the author, Jen Talty for a free ARC of this book in exchange for a voluntary, honest review.
I really like that, in the opening chapter, we are introduced to hot and sexy fire-fighter, Cade Nash. Next, we meet his gorgeous new neighbour, but Heather Holbrook is a dentist and Cade has a deep-rooted fear of dentists, dating back to a bad experience from his childhood. Cade loves to help people in their hour of need so when Heather’s car has a flat battery and she needs a jump-start, he is there to assist.
Heather has recently divorced and is trying to start over in her new neighbourhood. After leaving her abusive husband, she just wants a happy, quiet life. You could immediately sense that there was an intense physical attraction between Cade and Heather and one of the highlights of the book was following how they dealt with their emotionally-charged feelings for one another. After some problems with her ex-husband, Heather is forced to rely on Cade more than she would have chosen to, until he oversteps the mark, although his main goal was to protect her. Can Heather forgive him?
I thought both the plot and the character development were great and found the story-line to be very believable. The story is well-told, captivating and engaging. It held my interest right from the beginning and I found myself rooting for both Heather and Cade as they tried to deal with all of their conflicting emotions. This was a short, fast-paced read with plenty of action, some suspense and lots of lust and love. I enjoyed their instant attraction and the banter between them and I laughed-out-loud a few times while reading it. I thought the ending was very appropriate for this great novella.
I have been inspired to read more from Jen Talty and I highly recommend "Playing With Fire."
Thank you to Hidden Gems and the author, Jen Talty for a free ARC of this book in exchange for a voluntary, honest review.
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Miss Me Not in Books
Sep 3, 2019
Note: This has been on my Kindle for years--literally! I've decided every so often when there's not a book I've bought that I'm just dying to read that I'll start reading my backlog of books from the earliest bought. This was #1 - from 2013. I'm not doing bad, I only have one more book from 2013 before I start the ones from 2014. Yay!
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This covers some rather dark topics like suicide and physical abuse. On the first page we learn of a student's suicide and Madison's feelings about it. And then the fact that she has a sort of suicide pact with her only friend. It's quite a punch to the gut that these 17 year olds feel so low due to family situations that they want to end things.
Madison had a very unconventional childhood with parents who took no notice of her at all and in an effort to gain any sort of attention from them she acted out in the past until the unthinkable happened when she was just 13. I understand how stuff like that can warp you when it happens at such a young age.
Then a ray of light appears in the form of Dean--all round good guy. He's been asked to tutor her so she doesn't flunk a class. He's determined to be her friend after watching her for years and seeing her "fade into the background" behaviour. Things progress from friendship into romance over time and we get a rather sweet romance between Dean and Madison. He's very protective of her.
Of course, things don't always go the way you want and someone close to Madison commits suicide throwing her back into the darkness of grief. Luckily, she now has a strong support system in place with Dean and his family and they manage to keep her grounded.
I thought it ended a little abruptly but it was a sweet young adult romance that covered some hard hitting topics.
Another note: Suicide does seem to be a big issue in teenagers around the world and this book does a good job of highlighting it. It doesn't seem fair to me for teens to be that low that they take their own lives. They've barely started living and they ready to die already? That's not right. I've had a few good cries while reading this.
*-*-*-*-*
This covers some rather dark topics like suicide and physical abuse. On the first page we learn of a student's suicide and Madison's feelings about it. And then the fact that she has a sort of suicide pact with her only friend. It's quite a punch to the gut that these 17 year olds feel so low due to family situations that they want to end things.
Madison had a very unconventional childhood with parents who took no notice of her at all and in an effort to gain any sort of attention from them she acted out in the past until the unthinkable happened when she was just 13. I understand how stuff like that can warp you when it happens at such a young age.
Then a ray of light appears in the form of Dean--all round good guy. He's been asked to tutor her so she doesn't flunk a class. He's determined to be her friend after watching her for years and seeing her "fade into the background" behaviour. Things progress from friendship into romance over time and we get a rather sweet romance between Dean and Madison. He's very protective of her.
Of course, things don't always go the way you want and someone close to Madison commits suicide throwing her back into the darkness of grief. Luckily, she now has a strong support system in place with Dean and his family and they manage to keep her grounded.
I thought it ended a little abruptly but it was a sweet young adult romance that covered some hard hitting topics.
Another note: Suicide does seem to be a big issue in teenagers around the world and this book does a good job of highlighting it. It doesn't seem fair to me for teens to be that low that they take their own lives. They've barely started living and they ready to die already? That's not right. I've had a few good cries while reading this.
Eleanor Luhar (47 KP) rated The Elite (The Selection, #2) in Books
Jun 24, 2019
The Elite is the second book in the Selection series by Kiera Cass. It follows the progress of the Selection's participant America Singer, and her struggles within the palace.
First of all, I'd like to say that this book was actually a lot better than I had originally expected it to be. I'm not much into romances, and the main plot of this is relatively predictable, but there are definitely some unique aspects. Honestly, the situation with Marlee was just... awful. But in a good way. I mean, it was written wonderfully, and it made me really angry. But Maxon managed to bring it around so well, in a way that I really wasn't expecting (and neither was America!).
As for the king's reaction... I really wasn't expecting that either. I think it really brings some depth to Maxon's character, and some suspense to America's fight within the contest.
One thing I'm not so sure about is the way America just decides to accept the way Maxon flirts with the other girls. I understand that he has to have a back-up in case things don't work out with his first choice, but I would not be as calm as her about it. She does get a little upset by it, but I just feel like Maxon's just that bit shallower thanks to his relationships with the other girls.
America continues to be a strong character, and as defiant as ever. But something about her was missing in this sequel. I'm not sure, perhaps she seemed a little less passionate in this book or something. Something with her just didn't seem quite right.
Anyway, I did enjoy this book. There's a decent amount of action with the rebel attacks, and a fair amount of romance (if you're into that kinda thing). Some parts were a bit rushed in my opinion, but there were multiple unexpected, unique parts too. I think The Elite just about deserves 4 stars.
First of all, I'd like to say that this book was actually a lot better than I had originally expected it to be. I'm not much into romances, and the main plot of this is relatively predictable, but there are definitely some unique aspects. Honestly, the situation with Marlee was just... awful. But in a good way. I mean, it was written wonderfully, and it made me really angry. But Maxon managed to bring it around so well, in a way that I really wasn't expecting (and neither was America!).
As for the king's reaction... I really wasn't expecting that either. I think it really brings some depth to Maxon's character, and some suspense to America's fight within the contest.
One thing I'm not so sure about is the way America just decides to accept the way Maxon flirts with the other girls. I understand that he has to have a back-up in case things don't work out with his first choice, but I would not be as calm as her about it. She does get a little upset by it, but I just feel like Maxon's just that bit shallower thanks to his relationships with the other girls.
America continues to be a strong character, and as defiant as ever. But something about her was missing in this sequel. I'm not sure, perhaps she seemed a little less passionate in this book or something. Something with her just didn't seem quite right.
Anyway, I did enjoy this book. There's a decent amount of action with the rebel attacks, and a fair amount of romance (if you're into that kinda thing). Some parts were a bit rushed in my opinion, but there were multiple unexpected, unique parts too. I think The Elite just about deserves 4 stars.
Lindsay (1774 KP) rated Shadow of Murder (A Mac Faraday Mystery #14) in Books
Jun 7, 2022
Are you looking for some fun cold cases to solve? Maybe even a bit of mystery to solve with a twist. Lauren Carr's latest book "Shadow of Murder" does just that. We get a prologue full of mystery and murder. You will be wondering how a gunman kills an entire family. Is it real, or is it not. You will have to read or listen to find out for yourself.
This book had me going and wondering who would kill a whole family, including a law officer. There are a few main characters. We meet two of them right at the beginning of the story. Erica and Dusty.
I love the fact that mysteries are going on throughout the book. I enjoy that Erica and her friends seem to need to help the new local deputy chief. David gets some time with his wife and newborn. I recall David meeting a woman and a little boy I thought was introduced to him as his son?
Mac is pulled into a Chao once he returns from Europe with Archie. His son Tristain brings to life the disappearance of a missing person, a woman named Konnor Langston. Why did she disappear? It goes on from there. There are many mysteries and curses and stories of witches as the book goes on. I wonder who killed Erica's parents and why? Who taking advance of Larry? Why were Erica Hart's parents killed, and will Erica get justice for her childhood friend Konnor?
If you are looking for a good versus evil? This book has it. Once a dark shadow tries to harm Erica. Dusty seems to fall for a bird guiding him to help Erica. Will Erica and Dusty get together? There may be some romance for more than just two folks in the book. How will Dusty's father-law decide to find some love as well? There seems to be the talk of angels and demons? They're a bit supernatural in this book; that is a nice change to the story.
This book had me going and wondering who would kill a whole family, including a law officer. There are a few main characters. We meet two of them right at the beginning of the story. Erica and Dusty.
I love the fact that mysteries are going on throughout the book. I enjoy that Erica and her friends seem to need to help the new local deputy chief. David gets some time with his wife and newborn. I recall David meeting a woman and a little boy I thought was introduced to him as his son?
Mac is pulled into a Chao once he returns from Europe with Archie. His son Tristain brings to life the disappearance of a missing person, a woman named Konnor Langston. Why did she disappear? It goes on from there. There are many mysteries and curses and stories of witches as the book goes on. I wonder who killed Erica's parents and why? Who taking advance of Larry? Why were Erica Hart's parents killed, and will Erica get justice for her childhood friend Konnor?
If you are looking for a good versus evil? This book has it. Once a dark shadow tries to harm Erica. Dusty seems to fall for a bird guiding him to help Erica. Will Erica and Dusty get together? There may be some romance for more than just two folks in the book. How will Dusty's father-law decide to find some love as well? There seems to be the talk of angels and demons? They're a bit supernatural in this book; that is a nice change to the story.
Sarah (7800 KP) rated Titanic (1997) in Movies
Feb 5, 2021
Shame about the romance
Film #13 on the 100 Movies Bucket List: Titanic
Titanic is a rather divisive film. There are many that absolutely love it, the creators of this list among them I don’t doubt. And then there are those that can’t stand it, despite it’s 11 Oscar wins. When it was first released, Titanic’s popularity was immense and it was all the rage at my high school. At that time I loved it like everyone else, but over the years I’ve grown to notice its flaws as well.
Titanic is another epic from the mind of James Cameron and unsurprisingly tells the real life story behind the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. As the true story wasn’t enough, the sinking is shown from the point of view of a love story between Rose Dewitt Bukater (Kate Winslet) and Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio). In 1996, treasure hunter Brock Lovett (Bill Paxton) and his team are searching the wreckage of the Titanic for a rare diamond and instead come across a preserved drawing of Rose, who meets with Brock and tells the story of her experiences onboard. These experiences involve a class divide, a fiancé with anger management issues (Billy Zane) and some nice (Kathy Bates) and not very nice (Frances Fisher) female aristocrats.
While I can understand why Cameron has intertwined a romance into this real life tragedy, for me it’s this story that lessens the impact of such a horrific tale and makes this into not quite the masterpiece he wanted it to be. There are the obvious plot holes and irrational actions – the hugely memorable water door scene that could blatantly fit more than one person, and the motives for keeping a invaluable diamond hidden for 80+ years only to throw it away in the ocean – are just two of the laughably bad scenes in this. Paired with a sometimes dodgy script (there’s a scene where Rose says “Jack” over half a dozen times in less than a minute) and some cheesy exposition and narration from the older Rose, do not make for an endearing story.
However if you can ignore the romance and poor fictional story, the rest of Titanic is an impressive bit of filmmaking. From the opening shots featuring real life footage of the actual wreckage of the Titanic to the effects used to bring the ship to life, they are truly stunning. You can really appreciate the love and care that has gone in to making this film, and the cinematography is faultless. Water is not an easy element to film yet James Cameron has mastered it with ease and including shots of the real wreckage only adds to the emotions that this evokes, especially as there are a lot of facts interlaced within the romance – the band continuing to play despite impending death is particularly moving. The cast too are strong despite the sometimes questionable material they have to work with. This is undoubtedly the film that made both Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet megastars in their own rights, although for me I much preferred the more low key performances from the likes of Kathy Bates, Bernard Hill (as Captain Smith) and Victor Garber (as ship builder Thomas Andrews).
Titanic is not perfect. It is a drawn out and overly long romance set aboard a disaster movie and it can’t justify being longer than 3 hours. However despite it’s flaws, it is still a masterpiece in filmmaking and truly an epic film.
Titanic is a rather divisive film. There are many that absolutely love it, the creators of this list among them I don’t doubt. And then there are those that can’t stand it, despite it’s 11 Oscar wins. When it was first released, Titanic’s popularity was immense and it was all the rage at my high school. At that time I loved it like everyone else, but over the years I’ve grown to notice its flaws as well.
Titanic is another epic from the mind of James Cameron and unsurprisingly tells the real life story behind the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. As the true story wasn’t enough, the sinking is shown from the point of view of a love story between Rose Dewitt Bukater (Kate Winslet) and Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio). In 1996, treasure hunter Brock Lovett (Bill Paxton) and his team are searching the wreckage of the Titanic for a rare diamond and instead come across a preserved drawing of Rose, who meets with Brock and tells the story of her experiences onboard. These experiences involve a class divide, a fiancé with anger management issues (Billy Zane) and some nice (Kathy Bates) and not very nice (Frances Fisher) female aristocrats.
While I can understand why Cameron has intertwined a romance into this real life tragedy, for me it’s this story that lessens the impact of such a horrific tale and makes this into not quite the masterpiece he wanted it to be. There are the obvious plot holes and irrational actions – the hugely memorable water door scene that could blatantly fit more than one person, and the motives for keeping a invaluable diamond hidden for 80+ years only to throw it away in the ocean – are just two of the laughably bad scenes in this. Paired with a sometimes dodgy script (there’s a scene where Rose says “Jack” over half a dozen times in less than a minute) and some cheesy exposition and narration from the older Rose, do not make for an endearing story.
However if you can ignore the romance and poor fictional story, the rest of Titanic is an impressive bit of filmmaking. From the opening shots featuring real life footage of the actual wreckage of the Titanic to the effects used to bring the ship to life, they are truly stunning. You can really appreciate the love and care that has gone in to making this film, and the cinematography is faultless. Water is not an easy element to film yet James Cameron has mastered it with ease and including shots of the real wreckage only adds to the emotions that this evokes, especially as there are a lot of facts interlaced within the romance – the band continuing to play despite impending death is particularly moving. The cast too are strong despite the sometimes questionable material they have to work with. This is undoubtedly the film that made both Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet megastars in their own rights, although for me I much preferred the more low key performances from the likes of Kathy Bates, Bernard Hill (as Captain Smith) and Victor Garber (as ship builder Thomas Andrews).
Titanic is not perfect. It is a drawn out and overly long romance set aboard a disaster movie and it can’t justify being longer than 3 hours. However despite it’s flaws, it is still a masterpiece in filmmaking and truly an epic film.
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Heidi's Guide to Four Letter Words in Books
Jan 12, 2021
This starts with Heidi trying to find a job and her mum and aunt going through a list of schools they think she should work at and Heidi listening miserably, knowing education isn't something she enjoyed. Instead she's applied to be in a receptionist type role at a local small business, not knowing at the time that they record erotic romances in audiobook form. Heidi is equally embarrassed and curious about what goes on at her place of work and with the help of her colleagues begins a podcast where she talks about her hot neighbour who she'd love to date and becoming more confident in saying those tricky four letter words.
I wasn't sure with this to start with. I found Heidi's almost prudishness too much at the start. I can't quite believe that she doesn't even allow herself to think swear words let alone say them. I don't know if it was her religious upbringing or her parents - who I found really annoying at times. It was nice to see her grow more confident in herself with every podcast she broadcasts and book scene she reads.
This one does have some comedy elements in it but, for me, the speech to text thing was hilarious and the funniest part. I couldn't stop laughing for quite a while with that one.
The romance in this didn't seem to take up as much of the book as I'd have liked. I think it got to around the 35% mark before the romance even started to kick in. They had talked briefly and acknowledged each other in the street but it was only after she'd done a few of her podcasts that she even had the guts to approach him for a date and then it was a slow burn into a cute romance. It was a really nice relationship they'd built up and then "the thing" that split them apart for a little while was blown out of proportion - as they do in romance books - before they sorted it out and were cuter than ever.
One thing I didn't understand was the "uff da" thing. I even had to look it up to figure out what that bit was all about. It still seemed a rather odd exclamation to me so I read it as oomph/oof noise.
If you like romantic comedies then you should give this a go.
I wasn't sure with this to start with. I found Heidi's almost prudishness too much at the start. I can't quite believe that she doesn't even allow herself to think swear words let alone say them. I don't know if it was her religious upbringing or her parents - who I found really annoying at times. It was nice to see her grow more confident in herself with every podcast she broadcasts and book scene she reads.
This one does have some comedy elements in it but, for me, the speech to text thing was hilarious and the funniest part. I couldn't stop laughing for quite a while with that one.
The romance in this didn't seem to take up as much of the book as I'd have liked. I think it got to around the 35% mark before the romance even started to kick in. They had talked briefly and acknowledged each other in the street but it was only after she'd done a few of her podcasts that she even had the guts to approach him for a date and then it was a slow burn into a cute romance. It was a really nice relationship they'd built up and then "the thing" that split them apart for a little while was blown out of proportion - as they do in romance books - before they sorted it out and were cuter than ever.
One thing I didn't understand was the "uff da" thing. I even had to look it up to figure out what that bit was all about. It still seemed a rather odd exclamation to me so I read it as oomph/oof noise.
If you like romantic comedies then you should give this a go.
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Dream Weaver (Mystic Beach #2)
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His rise to rock-and-roll stardom pulled them apart. Can a magical summer at the beach bring them...
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Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated The Life of Glass in Books
Apr 27, 2018
Melissa’s father died almost two years ago. She has been struggling, but is surviving with the help of her best friend Ryan. But through a series of events, her world gets turned upside down. A new girl comes to school and befriends her immediately, for some unknown reason. Ryan gets a girlfriend. Melissa’s mom is dating some guy. Ashley, her older sister, is… well just being an annoying older sister with problems. And in the middle of it all, Melissa still has unsolved mysteries about her father, her desires, and herself.
The Life of Glass is a fast read—I tore through it in a matter of hours. I wasn’t particularly sure why I couldn’t stop reading it. Maybe it was the easy language, maybe it was the characters, maybe I was just in the mood for a good romance novel and that was what was on my shelf. Either way, I didn’t stop reading until my sister turned the light out on me.
I liked the characters a lot (though some of them I despised) and others remained mysteries until later in the book; they were those “oh I had no idea they were that kind of person” characters, and I liked the mystery of their personalities. They were relatable and likeable.
That being said, there was nothing hugely spectacular about The Life of Glass: nothing that will make it a long lasting fantastic memory or escape for me. I enjoyed it and I won’t forget it, but it won’t be one of those “second reads.”
This was part of the 1 ARC Tours for Bloody Bad.
The Life of Glass is a fast read—I tore through it in a matter of hours. I wasn’t particularly sure why I couldn’t stop reading it. Maybe it was the easy language, maybe it was the characters, maybe I was just in the mood for a good romance novel and that was what was on my shelf. Either way, I didn’t stop reading until my sister turned the light out on me.
I liked the characters a lot (though some of them I despised) and others remained mysteries until later in the book; they were those “oh I had no idea they were that kind of person” characters, and I liked the mystery of their personalities. They were relatable and likeable.
That being said, there was nothing hugely spectacular about The Life of Glass: nothing that will make it a long lasting fantastic memory or escape for me. I enjoyed it and I won’t forget it, but it won’t be one of those “second reads.”
This was part of the 1 ARC Tours for Bloody Bad.
Merissa (13197 KP) rated Under the Radar in Books
May 3, 2019
Under the Radar by Lillian Francis
Under the Radar is a wonderful story about two opposites - An American playboy and a Welsh innocent. They are opposite in other ways too, but that just makes them fit together perfectly. Zachary has been 'expelled' from the US Air Force after an indiscretion, and his punishment is to become a Submariner. A harsh punishment indeed for someone who loves the sky. Gethin is from a farm in Wales, and happy to be on the submarine. These two shouldn't really fit, but they do.
I loved how this story came about. There is an incredible amount of research that has gone into it, and the descriptions are compelling. I literally found myself having to straighten my shoulders after hunching them over as I was reading! This is a slow-burn romance, with some funny parts in there as Gethin's innocence stops him from reading Zachary's overtures.
This was exceptionally written, with no editing or grammatical errors that I noticed. The characters are all magnificent, especially the supporting cast. I'm so glad I got one of the 'bad guys' right, but I won't say who or when. Everything about this book ticked my boxes - from the descriptions of war-time rations, to how some of them spoke Polari (LOVED that inclusion!). I really hope this isn't the last we see of Zachary and Gethin. I'm sure they could have some amazing adventures together.
Highly recommended by me.
* 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!
I loved how this story came about. There is an incredible amount of research that has gone into it, and the descriptions are compelling. I literally found myself having to straighten my shoulders after hunching them over as I was reading! This is a slow-burn romance, with some funny parts in there as Gethin's innocence stops him from reading Zachary's overtures.
This was exceptionally written, with no editing or grammatical errors that I noticed. The characters are all magnificent, especially the supporting cast. I'm so glad I got one of the 'bad guys' right, but I won't say who or when. Everything about this book ticked my boxes - from the descriptions of war-time rations, to how some of them spoke Polari (LOVED that inclusion!). I really hope this isn't the last we see of Zachary and Gethin. I'm sure they could have some amazing adventures together.
Highly recommended by me.
* 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!