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The Assistant
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
43 of 235
Book
The Assistant
By S.K. Tremayne
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Newly divorced Jo is delighted to move into her best friend's spare room almost rent-free. The high-tech luxury Camden flat is managed by a meticulous Home Assistant, called Electra, that takes care of the heating, the lights - and sometimes Jo even turns to her for company.

Until, late one night, Electra says one sentence that rips Jo's fragile world in two: `I know what you did.' And Jo is horrified. Because in her past she did do something terrible. Something unforgivable.

Only two other people in the whole world know Jo's secret. And they would never tell anyone. Would they? As a fierce winter brings London to a standstill, Jo begins to understand that the Assistant on the shelf doesn't just want to control Jo; it wants to destroy her.


This book was a very good reminder of why I do not have an Alex in my home! Very dark very mean and chilling to the bone. Well worth a read!
  
DV
Darcy's Voyage
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
In this Pride and Prejudice variation, Elizabeth meets a strange kind man in a carriage when she is eighteen, and they both hold on to the memory of each other for two years. Elizabeth gets a chance to visit her aunt and uncle in America when she is twenty, and Mr. Darcy travels to America on his ship, the Pemberly Promise, to get his sister. But Elizabeth falls ill in the steerage, and Darcy is concerned for her more than he thought he would be, though he can’t explain it. Darcy makes a deal with Elizabeth: Since his room has an extra bed that she could heal in, and he needs a wife on the ship to avoid the young female suitors, he asks Elizabeth to marry him, and promises to annul the marriage when they get back to England.

Elizabeth and Darcy don’t recognize each other for a while, but soon it becomes obvious that they met in the carriage two years ago. It’s also obvious that they enjoy the same things, build each other up, and support each other well… and pretty soon they’re falling in love.

But misunderstandings lead to tragic occurrences, and secrets falling into the wrong hands can prove dangerous. Darcy and Elizabeth don’t know that the other loves them, and serious damage could happen if the wrong information falls into the wrong hands…

Darcy’s Voyage was a fun read. The book used some of the original story line, and most of the characters were accurate and the same in character traits and personalities—except Georgiana, who was far to outgoing—and there were some delightful new characters.

I liked the plot. It was original and creative, but it did have it’s flaws. First, I’d have liked more conflict between Elizabeth and Darcy. Their relationship had a few bumps, but seemed to be just a little to perfect. Second, Darcy’s idea of marrying Elizabeth so she could have his other bed was a little far fetched. A gentleman would have just given up his room, not married her. Still, I did like it and was able to overlook the little things that made my eyebrow quirk up.

The thing that I liked most was the artistic license. This was a great re-telling of the classic characters. It was original and cute and creative. And it was clean! which made my day.

Content/recommendation: no language, no sex, no violence. Ages 14+
  
40x40

mmb02191 (81 KP) rated Messenger in Apps

Aug 7, 2018  
Messenger
Messenger
Communication, Productivity, Social Networking
6
7.9 (303 Ratings)
App Rating
Easy access to communication (2 more)
Fast loading
Gifs
You HAVE to use it on mobile (0 more)
Good if you want it
I enjoy being able to easily access my friend's list for a quick chat. I can use funny gifs, pics, and emojis easily and quickly with the search feature. However, if I want to just use chat on a browser, it won't let me, you HAVE to download messenger. Which drives me a little nuts that Facebook is in two apps. It's fine if you have a lot of room on your phone, but it doesn't work for everyone.
  
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Mary (13 KP) rated The Den (2014) in Movies

Jul 28, 2018 (Updated Jul 29, 2018)  
The Den (2014)
The Den (2014)
2014 | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
7
7.2 (5 Ratings)
Movie Rating
I enjoyed the perspective of seeing the person through the webcam when the hacker was present. It made it obvious what was occurring and added an interesting effect to the movie. (0 more)
The only issue I found with this movie was that there was no definitive climax. There was a whole lot of rising action, however it was difficult to acknowledge a singular climax as many different issues were presented all at once. (0 more)
Contains spoilers, click to show
I was very taken by the trailer of the movie "The Den" because I viewed it as an actual fear that many people have in today's society. I was able to find the movie on Netflix and it was pretty enjoyable. The storyline progressed at a decent rate and, all in all, was very interesting. I would not consider it a horror film, it was more of a thriller in my opinion. There is a bit of gore, but it isn't bad for the category it falls into. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who scares easily or is paranoid of being watched through the webcams of electronic devices.


The addition of the dark web Red Room at the very end of the movie was very suprising. However, I found it to be a great addition to the storyline as it was a link to what the hackers were doing with their victims.
  
The Holdout
The Holdout
Graham Moore | 2020 | Mystery, Thriller
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
‏I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.

Even after a few years, working with jurors is fascinating to me. Each jury uses the jury room differently. When I read the description of Graham Moore's The Holdout, I knew what I would read next. Having recently finished one of his earlier books, The Sherlockian, I was even more eager to read this. As with The Sherlockian, The Holdout does not disappoint.

Juror 272, aka Maya Seale, was the lone holdout. She does the near-impossible task of converting the other jurors to her way of thinking and the defendant is found not guilty. Unfortunately, the trial of the jury has just begun.

Moore is able to accurately capture jury service and the deliberation process. His writing style makes the story move quickly. Some of the actions of the characters require a suspension of disbelief but it does not take away from the story.

I do not want to give away anything so it is hard to say anything about specific parts of the book. I will say I thoroughly enjoyed chapter 23! It was creative and I was pleasantly surprised how the issue was handled.

Graham Moore is on my "authors to read as soon as they publish" list.

This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com on 2/25/20.