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Debbiereadsbook (1166 KP) rated Smith's Corner: Storm & Stone (The Heartwood Series #5) in Books
Mar 16, 2022
love it when Stone fully lets go!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
This is book 5 in the Smith's Corner series. While it can be read as a stand-alone book, I recommend that you read the other books before this one. It will give you a better and bigger picture of this family group, and how Stone's brothers have fallen one by one. It will also show you just how long Stone and Storm have been dancing around each other.
Storm needs honesty, and she will walk away if she thinks she isn't getting it. Stone, on the other hand, was burnt, badly by his ex when he was honest, so tries hard to keep it all in. Storm can see right through Stone though! And I loved that she could.
Because that ex does try hard to get to Stone and what I especially LOVED about this book, was that Storm never once doubted Stone. She knew, KNEW that he was a good man, and the ex just wanted to destroy him. Ex doesn't, just so you know, but Storm makes sure that Stone sees STORM, rather than the ex.
It's quite emotional in places, but equally there is laughter. Stone messes up, but his heart is in the right place! I loved that, when Stone lets himself really go, they are so great together! He really needs to trust Storm.
We catch up with the other brothers and their ever-growing families, and we get a taste of what's to come with Hunter and Holden. Cos ooooooeeeee those boys are getting close to breaking!
A lovely edition to this series, I am thoroughly enjoying them all.
4 solid stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
This is book 5 in the Smith's Corner series. While it can be read as a stand-alone book, I recommend that you read the other books before this one. It will give you a better and bigger picture of this family group, and how Stone's brothers have fallen one by one. It will also show you just how long Stone and Storm have been dancing around each other.
Storm needs honesty, and she will walk away if she thinks she isn't getting it. Stone, on the other hand, was burnt, badly by his ex when he was honest, so tries hard to keep it all in. Storm can see right through Stone though! And I loved that she could.
Because that ex does try hard to get to Stone and what I especially LOVED about this book, was that Storm never once doubted Stone. She knew, KNEW that he was a good man, and the ex just wanted to destroy him. Ex doesn't, just so you know, but Storm makes sure that Stone sees STORM, rather than the ex.
It's quite emotional in places, but equally there is laughter. Stone messes up, but his heart is in the right place! I loved that, when Stone lets himself really go, they are so great together! He really needs to trust Storm.
We catch up with the other brothers and their ever-growing families, and we get a taste of what's to come with Hunter and Holden. Cos ooooooeeeee those boys are getting close to breaking!
A lovely edition to this series, I am thoroughly enjoying them all.
4 solid stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2165 KP) rated Ashes to Ashes, Crust to Crust in Books
Feb 23, 2024 (Updated Feb 23, 2024)
Mystery Didn’t Quite Work for Me
Summer is winding down soon, which means that the crowds will be disappearing from Geneva Bay, Wisconsin. Unfortunately for Delilah O’Leary, she hasn’t earned quite as much as she needs during her deep dish pizza restaurant’s first season opened to survive the coming winter season comfortably. Which means she needs to win the upcoming “Taste of Wisconsin” contest held during the annual Labor Day festival. She’s been trying to prefect her recipe for weeks. However, she is less than thrilled when she learns who the judge is going to be.
All that takes a back seat when someone drops dead in the new juice bar in town. Delilah happens to be on hand, and she can’t help but get involved in the investigation. But can she figure out what happened?
I enjoyed the first book in the series, and was looking forward to returning to the great characters and setting. Unfortunately, the plot tries to do too much. Early on, I was enjoying trying to figure out what was part of the mystery and what was part of any subplots, but when we reached the climax, things were just too rushed because of everything else going on. In fact, it felt like the mystery was undercooked overall, and I was left with a major question about why a character did what they did. Which is a shame because the characters and setting were great once again. I love Delilah and the rest of the crew, and I’d love to visit the town. There are some fun laughs, including in the recipes. Seriously, they are written by some of the characters, and they are great. I already have book three, so hopefully, the plot is stronger in that one.
All that takes a back seat when someone drops dead in the new juice bar in town. Delilah happens to be on hand, and she can’t help but get involved in the investigation. But can she figure out what happened?
I enjoyed the first book in the series, and was looking forward to returning to the great characters and setting. Unfortunately, the plot tries to do too much. Early on, I was enjoying trying to figure out what was part of the mystery and what was part of any subplots, but when we reached the climax, things were just too rushed because of everything else going on. In fact, it felt like the mystery was undercooked overall, and I was left with a major question about why a character did what they did. Which is a shame because the characters and setting were great once again. I love Delilah and the rest of the crew, and I’d love to visit the town. There are some fun laughs, including in the recipes. Seriously, they are written by some of the characters, and they are great. I already have book three, so hopefully, the plot is stronger in that one.
Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated Top Five (2014) in Movies
Mar 23, 2018
Great Comedy
Journalist Chelsea Brown (Rosario Dawson) is shadowing actor/comedian Andre Allen (Chris Rock) for a day as he promotes his new film. Still recovering from being an alcoholic, Allen is trying to juggle all the different moving parts of his life while planning for a wedding at the same time.
Acting: 10
Stellar performances all around from an amazing cast. While Rock was excellent, I have to show the most love to Dawson who checks all the boxes in her role. She's witty, funny, challenging, vulnerable. Just an all-around success.
And every single time I think about Cedric the Entertainer's role as Jazzy Dee, I can't help but crack a smile. Cedric typically excels in character roles and Top Five is no exception as he hosts Rock's character in Houston. I can't remember one scene he was in where I wasn't openly laughing.
Beginning: 10
The film gets off to an excellent start setting the tone for things to come. Andre and Chelsea are walking the streets of New York having multiple debates at once. Seeing their clashing point of views is perfect.
Characters: 10
You want an array of different personalities, you absolutely have it with Top Five. Chelsea's character is phenomenal with her brutal honesty and reluctant vulnerability. She is just what Andre needs in his life. Meanwhile, Jazzy Dee is the definition of hood swag. He wants everyone to know that he's the man in Houston and you almost start to believe him. Among others, I also enjoyed the role of Benny played by Romany Malco. He plays a publicist trying to keep everything together as things fall apart all around him.
Cinematography/Visuals: 7
Solid shots that will always stick out in my head are any involving Hammy the Bear and the scenes where Andre is surrounded by the people he loves. There are definitely others I can't mention for the sake of spoiling the film, but I will remember them for a very long time.
Conflict: 10
As the story progressed, there was always something going on to pay attention to. Andre's struggles and all the things he was having to deal with kept me motivated to watch to see how things were going to play out. Definitely more moving parts than I would have expected.
Genre: 10
Memorability: 9
When I think of how memorable this film will be for me, both scenes where Andre and his family are debating their top five rappers of all time will always stand out for me. Whether it was rappers, NBA players, video games, these were common amongst my family and friends. Watching his family go at it, agreeing and disagreeing with each other, was a taste of home for me.
The cameos are bananas, making you wonder who's going show up next. Again, there are a couple of scenes that make the film extremely memorable, but even me describing them here wouldn't do them justice. Trust me when I say it's something you have to see, believe, then laugh uncontrollably at.
Pace: 10
Solid progression from one scene to the next. There was never a point where I was checking Google or thinking of what movie I was going to watch next. This film kept me engrossed.
Plot: 7
Resolution: 8
The ending was darn-near perfect. Sure, they could have given you just a taste more (hence the 8), but I thought it wrapped at a nice stopping point if you ask me. It did what it needed to do and it was gone.
Overall: 91
I was pleasantly surprised with how much I liked this film for a number of reasons. It's a sleeper that I highly recommend.
Acting: 10
Stellar performances all around from an amazing cast. While Rock was excellent, I have to show the most love to Dawson who checks all the boxes in her role. She's witty, funny, challenging, vulnerable. Just an all-around success.
And every single time I think about Cedric the Entertainer's role as Jazzy Dee, I can't help but crack a smile. Cedric typically excels in character roles and Top Five is no exception as he hosts Rock's character in Houston. I can't remember one scene he was in where I wasn't openly laughing.
Beginning: 10
The film gets off to an excellent start setting the tone for things to come. Andre and Chelsea are walking the streets of New York having multiple debates at once. Seeing their clashing point of views is perfect.
Characters: 10
You want an array of different personalities, you absolutely have it with Top Five. Chelsea's character is phenomenal with her brutal honesty and reluctant vulnerability. She is just what Andre needs in his life. Meanwhile, Jazzy Dee is the definition of hood swag. He wants everyone to know that he's the man in Houston and you almost start to believe him. Among others, I also enjoyed the role of Benny played by Romany Malco. He plays a publicist trying to keep everything together as things fall apart all around him.
Cinematography/Visuals: 7
Solid shots that will always stick out in my head are any involving Hammy the Bear and the scenes where Andre is surrounded by the people he loves. There are definitely others I can't mention for the sake of spoiling the film, but I will remember them for a very long time.
Conflict: 10
As the story progressed, there was always something going on to pay attention to. Andre's struggles and all the things he was having to deal with kept me motivated to watch to see how things were going to play out. Definitely more moving parts than I would have expected.
Genre: 10
Memorability: 9
When I think of how memorable this film will be for me, both scenes where Andre and his family are debating their top five rappers of all time will always stand out for me. Whether it was rappers, NBA players, video games, these were common amongst my family and friends. Watching his family go at it, agreeing and disagreeing with each other, was a taste of home for me.
The cameos are bananas, making you wonder who's going show up next. Again, there are a couple of scenes that make the film extremely memorable, but even me describing them here wouldn't do them justice. Trust me when I say it's something you have to see, believe, then laugh uncontrollably at.
Pace: 10
Solid progression from one scene to the next. There was never a point where I was checking Google or thinking of what movie I was going to watch next. This film kept me engrossed.
Plot: 7
Resolution: 8
The ending was darn-near perfect. Sure, they could have given you just a taste more (hence the 8), but I thought it wrapped at a nice stopping point if you ask me. It did what it needed to do and it was gone.
Overall: 91
I was pleasantly surprised with how much I liked this film for a number of reasons. It's a sleeper that I highly recommend.
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Ross (3284 KP) rated Stranger Things - Season 2 in TV
Nov 17, 2017
A great series following on from the ground-breaking first. Extra characters are revealed and the current characters are explored in more detail as they grow and mature. The addition of Paul Reiser and Sean Astin was simply inspired, somehow managing to conjure up memories of Aliens, The Goonies, LoTR and ... erm ... My Two Dads.
There are the usual geeky references here and there (the boys dressed as ghostbusters and awkwardly discussing why Lucas should be Winston; Eleven wanting to wear the same Halloween costume as ET etc etc).
The action was a little slow to get going in the first few episodes, but it was still enjoyable viewing all the same, getting the chance to see the boys in action without the fear or tension from the events of the first series.
I feel a bit sorry for the actor playing Will - he is a bit like Doug from The Hangover - barely there and when he is there he is quite weedy and annoying.
For me Hopper was the star of the series showing his paternal side with Eleven while still being the strong leader/father figure that some of the boys don't have.
The only slight negative I had was the timeline of the DemaDog's growth - it seemed to take almost a year for the slug that Will coughed up to grow to the size of a frog and then from there it became dog-sized in a matter of days. Unless these were separate creatures and I have mistaken this but, a la Prometheus, this wasn't all that well explained. It could just be the incredible nutritious qualities of nougat.
All in all another excellent series and a taste of more to come, possibly with Max's brother (a dead-ringer for Jason Patric in The Lost Boys) and Dustin (with his Corey Haim hair at the Snow Ball) teaming up to battle vampires.
There are the usual geeky references here and there (the boys dressed as ghostbusters and awkwardly discussing why Lucas should be Winston; Eleven wanting to wear the same Halloween costume as ET etc etc).
The action was a little slow to get going in the first few episodes, but it was still enjoyable viewing all the same, getting the chance to see the boys in action without the fear or tension from the events of the first series.
I feel a bit sorry for the actor playing Will - he is a bit like Doug from The Hangover - barely there and when he is there he is quite weedy and annoying.
For me Hopper was the star of the series showing his paternal side with Eleven while still being the strong leader/father figure that some of the boys don't have.
The only slight negative I had was the timeline of the DemaDog's growth - it seemed to take almost a year for the slug that Will coughed up to grow to the size of a frog and then from there it became dog-sized in a matter of days. Unless these were separate creatures and I have mistaken this but, a la Prometheus, this wasn't all that well explained. It could just be the incredible nutritious qualities of nougat.
All in all another excellent series and a taste of more to come, possibly with Max's brother (a dead-ringer for Jason Patric in The Lost Boys) and Dustin (with his Corey Haim hair at the Snow Ball) teaming up to battle vampires.