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Merissa (12906 KP) rated Pass (Shattered Pawns #1) in Books
May 21, 2021 (Updated Jul 26, 2023)
PASS is the first book in the spin-off series Shattered Pawns that follows on from The Diviner's Game. Although this is the start of a brand new story, it does follow characters and situations from the previous trilogy, so I would absolutely recommend you read that one first!
Right then, onto Pass. I thoroughly enjoyed it! I adored seeing old favourites and learning how they are getting on. And meeting new ones for the first time - I looking at you, Anni! The story is compelling and moves along at a fair pace, keeping the reader's attention from the first word to the very last. So why only 4-stars, I hear you ask. Let me tell you.
Tio - Auggie - Luca
Although the scenes with them were incredibly well written, I just didn't connect with them. Auggie was probably the closest I got. Tio drove me insane 99.9% of the time, and Luca just accepted EVERYTHING! I mean, really? I know I'm going to be in the minority with this, but it is my opinion.
On the whole, though, this was a brilliant story. I want more from Qis and Monet, plus Anni and Charon. I honestly can't wait to see where Ms Cody will take me next. Just because I didn't connect with these characters doesn't mean I don't want more - from either the series or the author!
4-stars is still a 'very good' rating so I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending this book but, once again, I would recommend you read the previous trilogy first.
** 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!
May 21, 2021
Right then, onto Pass. I thoroughly enjoyed it! I adored seeing old favourites and learning how they are getting on. And meeting new ones for the first time - I looking at you, Anni! The story is compelling and moves along at a fair pace, keeping the reader's attention from the first word to the very last. So why only 4-stars, I hear you ask. Let me tell you.
Tio - Auggie - Luca
Although the scenes with them were incredibly well written, I just didn't connect with them. Auggie was probably the closest I got. Tio drove me insane 99.9% of the time, and Luca just accepted EVERYTHING! I mean, really? I know I'm going to be in the minority with this, but it is my opinion.
On the whole, though, this was a brilliant story. I want more from Qis and Monet, plus Anni and Charon. I honestly can't wait to see where Ms Cody will take me next. Just because I didn't connect with these characters doesn't mean I don't want more - from either the series or the author!
4-stars is still a 'very good' rating so I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending this book but, once again, I would recommend you read the previous trilogy first.
** 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!
May 21, 2021

Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Beauty from Pain (Beauty, #1) in Books
Oct 14, 2019
Well this is a backburner book (#1 on my to-read on Goodreads), having been on my Kindle since some time in January 2014 when it was released. I think I've put off reading it simply because of the "erotica" label it had on Goodreads. It wasn't exactly erotica, though. Yeah, they had quite a lot of sex but there was a romance to it, too.
So this starts with Laurelyn arriving in Australia with her best friend to spend time with her best friends brother for three months as he studies wine making there. On the first night they head out to a bar and take part in an...open mic night? Laurelyn sings and plays the guitar (I think) and attracts the attention of Jack, a man looking for his next lover. Instead of the usual week/month, he plans to spend three months with his next bed fellow, giving her whatever she wishes for and making her feel special. Laurelyn catches his attention and he plans to seduce her into agreeing to his arrangement.
I guess if I was on the receiving end of an attractive rich guy wanting to spend three months with me, getting to know me and spending a lot of that time in bed, I'd enjoy it, too, but I have to admit I got a little bored with this. It was taking a little too long to get where it was going and I skipped entire sex scenes. The books 271 pages felt more like 500.
It had a rather promising start, apart from the slightly stalkerish behaviour of Jack as he tried to meet Laurelyn again, and I enjoyed the slow seduction and how he treated her. But then I didn't really see the relationship grow as such. It didn't work for me, personally.
By the end, I wasn't all that bothered about what was going to happen next with the characters so I won't be continuing the series.
So this starts with Laurelyn arriving in Australia with her best friend to spend time with her best friends brother for three months as he studies wine making there. On the first night they head out to a bar and take part in an...open mic night? Laurelyn sings and plays the guitar (I think) and attracts the attention of Jack, a man looking for his next lover. Instead of the usual week/month, he plans to spend three months with his next bed fellow, giving her whatever she wishes for and making her feel special. Laurelyn catches his attention and he plans to seduce her into agreeing to his arrangement.
I guess if I was on the receiving end of an attractive rich guy wanting to spend three months with me, getting to know me and spending a lot of that time in bed, I'd enjoy it, too, but I have to admit I got a little bored with this. It was taking a little too long to get where it was going and I skipped entire sex scenes. The books 271 pages felt more like 500.
It had a rather promising start, apart from the slightly stalkerish behaviour of Jack as he tried to meet Laurelyn again, and I enjoyed the slow seduction and how he treated her. But then I didn't really see the relationship grow as such. It didn't work for me, personally.
By the end, I wasn't all that bothered about what was going to happen next with the characters so I won't be continuing the series.

Ed Droste recommended track Serenade after Plato's Symposium Phaedrus Pausanias by Leonard Bernstein in A Leonard Bernstein Weekend by Leonard Bernstein in Music (curated)

Hot Fey Moon (Wildeward Academy #4)
Book
An enchantress holds my father and my birthright in thrall. If I can’t find my mother and bring...
Reverse Harem Paranormal Romance Historical

Merissa (12906 KP) rated Odriel's Heirs (Odriel's Heirs #1) in Books
Jul 29, 2021 (Updated Jul 17, 2023)
ODRIEL'S HEIRS is the first book in the series of the same name, and we are introduced to a fantasy world where the Heirs are there to protect the people, even when the people no longer believe in them.
Kaia is only seventeen and wants to be a normal girl. She is the Dragon's Heir by only six minutes, being the first-born of a set of twins. She gets on well with Time's Heir, Jago, but not so much with the Shadow's Heir, Klaus. Of course, I was immediately hoping for something to happen, because, you know, it's me.
I was swept away in a world familiar to me and yet so different. I loved the names of the animals, giving me unique creatures that were, at the same time, familiar. The world-building is second to none and the vistas were amazing.
There is a romantic element between Kaia and Klaus but it doesn't take over the whole story - just enough to keep me happy. They are ably supported by a host of characters with their own foibles. Most of whom I liked, some I loved, and some I loathed.
This was an emotional read and I will admit to having tears in my eyes on more than one occasion. I won't say more as I don't want to spoil it for anyone else, but it was everything I could have wished for, even as my heart broke.
A fabulous start to a series that I have loved and have no hesitation in recommending. Absolutely fantastic!
** 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 28, 2021
Kaia is only seventeen and wants to be a normal girl. She is the Dragon's Heir by only six minutes, being the first-born of a set of twins. She gets on well with Time's Heir, Jago, but not so much with the Shadow's Heir, Klaus. Of course, I was immediately hoping for something to happen, because, you know, it's me.
I was swept away in a world familiar to me and yet so different. I loved the names of the animals, giving me unique creatures that were, at the same time, familiar. The world-building is second to none and the vistas were amazing.
There is a romantic element between Kaia and Klaus but it doesn't take over the whole story - just enough to keep me happy. They are ably supported by a host of characters with their own foibles. Most of whom I liked, some I loved, and some I loathed.
This was an emotional read and I will admit to having tears in my eyes on more than one occasion. I won't say more as I don't want to spoil it for anyone else, but it was everything I could have wished for, even as my heart broke.
A fabulous start to a series that I have loved and have no hesitation in recommending. Absolutely fantastic!
** 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 28, 2021

Merissa (12906 KP) rated The Blood Demon's Pet (Demon Daddy #1) in Books
Oct 31, 2023
THE BLOOD DEMON'S PET is the first book in the Demon Daddy series. We have Levi, the blood demon, and Eryn, the werewolf. There are a multitude of supporting characters that I adored, who did their job superbly.
Levi has been alone for quite a while. The last time he thought he'd found a long-term love, he was betrayed and stolen from. Since then, when he needs to feed, he keeps it as clinical as possible. Eryn is a werewolf who can't control either his shifts or the wolf inside. He gets told by the Beta that he has killed the Alpha, but he will help him escape. Can you hear the alarm bells ringing? I could and I hated what poor Eryn went through.
The attraction is instant but Levi tries to keep it clinical, even though he doesn't know Eryn's whole story. He isn't prepared to take a risk. In fact, when things move on between them, he is the one to put on the brakes and take a step back. I didn't like his behaviour (as I wasn't meant to) but I did understand it.
When he and Eryn are together, make sure you've got a fan because these two are H.O.T! Slowly, slowly in every way but s€x. And just when it gets even better, everything goes to hell in a handbasket, thanks to the ex. And...
...then it ends. So be prepared. I knew it ended on a cliffhanger and it still caught me by surprise.
I loved this story and will be re-reading it in the time I have to wait for the next part. Absolutely brilliant and definitely recommended by me.
** 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; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Oct 31, 2023
Levi has been alone for quite a while. The last time he thought he'd found a long-term love, he was betrayed and stolen from. Since then, when he needs to feed, he keeps it as clinical as possible. Eryn is a werewolf who can't control either his shifts or the wolf inside. He gets told by the Beta that he has killed the Alpha, but he will help him escape. Can you hear the alarm bells ringing? I could and I hated what poor Eryn went through.
The attraction is instant but Levi tries to keep it clinical, even though he doesn't know Eryn's whole story. He isn't prepared to take a risk. In fact, when things move on between them, he is the one to put on the brakes and take a step back. I didn't like his behaviour (as I wasn't meant to) but I did understand it.
When he and Eryn are together, make sure you've got a fan because these two are H.O.T! Slowly, slowly in every way but s€x. And just when it gets even better, everything goes to hell in a handbasket, thanks to the ex. And...
...then it ends. So be prepared. I knew it ended on a cliffhanger and it still caught me by surprise.
I loved this story and will be re-reading it in the time I have to wait for the next part. Absolutely brilliant and definitely recommended by me.
** 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; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Oct 31, 2023

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.

BobbiesDustyPages (1259 KP) rated Flatliners (2017) in Movies
Dec 29, 2017
Nearly bored me to flatline.
Okay first off I'm pretty sure I never saw the original flatliners so I went into this like it was a newish concept for a movie.
Flatliners at its bare bones has a really interesting take on what happens to us after we die and what could happen to us if we manage to come back, I really wished they would have focused more on that aspect of the story and showed a little more of what each person went through when they "crossed over" instead of adding unnecessary love plotlines and even more unnecessary sex scenes that just ended up boring me nearly to death.
The other thing I was really hoping for was for this to venture a little more into the horror genre but sadly they wasted a really good opportunity with a few crappy jump scares that you could see coming from a mile away.
I recommend watching this if you literally have nothing else to watch or if you were a fan of the original and want to see how they updated it.
Flatliners at its bare bones has a really interesting take on what happens to us after we die and what could happen to us if we manage to come back, I really wished they would have focused more on that aspect of the story and showed a little more of what each person went through when they "crossed over" instead of adding unnecessary love plotlines and even more unnecessary sex scenes that just ended up boring me nearly to death.
The other thing I was really hoping for was for this to venture a little more into the horror genre but sadly they wasted a really good opportunity with a few crappy jump scares that you could see coming from a mile away.
I recommend watching this if you literally have nothing else to watch or if you were a fan of the original and want to see how they updated it.

LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Drag Me to Hell (2009) in Movies
Mar 12, 2021
I'll say one thing for certain, Drag Me to Hell is so unnecessarily and gratuitously gross at times (the old woman has the poor girls entire chin in her disgusting mouth on more than one occasion) and in that regard, it's a warm welcome back to over the top horror for Sam Raimi. His signature style is plastered all over the place, and it's great.
The cheesiness isn't a complete positive however. In terms of dialogue, it can take you out of the story a bit. Lead Alison Lohman and co star Justin Long (both actors who I like) suffer from this a bit, and are occasionally comical in a movie that plays it straight for the most part.
Some of the effects are a little iffy as well. There's some good practical stuff going on but a few digital effects are dodgy. It's not enough to severely impact anything, and there a few decent jump scares scattered throughout.
It's a perfectly fine slice of horror, that is elevated by a ballsy as fuck ending, that makes Drag Me to Hell a film worth revisiting now and again. Would love to see a sequel someday!
The cheesiness isn't a complete positive however. In terms of dialogue, it can take you out of the story a bit. Lead Alison Lohman and co star Justin Long (both actors who I like) suffer from this a bit, and are occasionally comical in a movie that plays it straight for the most part.
Some of the effects are a little iffy as well. There's some good practical stuff going on but a few digital effects are dodgy. It's not enough to severely impact anything, and there a few decent jump scares scattered throughout.
It's a perfectly fine slice of horror, that is elevated by a ballsy as fuck ending, that makes Drag Me to Hell a film worth revisiting now and again. Would love to see a sequel someday!
