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Made to Submit (La Trattoria Di Amore #3)
Made to Submit (La Trattoria Di Amore #3)
JP Sayle | 2021 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
10
10.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
I was surprised at this book, and I don't know why. I don't care, cos I loved it!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

This is book 3 in the La Trattoria Di Amore series, but it can be read as a stand alone. Indeed I am reading this one in the series first, and I didn't feel I missed anything. Something was cleared up from another book though, and I'll come back to that.

Paulo fell in love with Carl (book 2) at 15. He learned all he could about BDSM for Carl, and followed him to London a long time later, for carl to see the man he has become. But Carl has Adam, and Paulo is struggling. Being moved from one restaurant to another, to work under Kaden throws Paulo into a tailspin. Kaden has watched Paulo for a while. The young man does things to him that he didn't see coming. A simple taste test bring Paulo to Kaden's feet, and it's Kaden who is in a tail spin!

I started to read this book, just a few pages is the lie you tell yourself, before I had to get up and go about my day. Next thing, I've ran out of book and I have questions!

Questions, Ms Sayle, my mind has questions! However, I'm fully able to ask the single question I need to, but later. I thought you'd find that amusing :-)

Anyway, back to the book!

Oh, I loved this! Kaden needs to control everything, at work and at home. The guys he works with are attuned to his ways, but he's just a boss who likes things done just so, according to them. Paulo, however, makes Kaden want, so much. Want everything, if he's honest with himself, which at times, he isn't. Paulo brings out Kaden's Dom side, and Paulo? Oh Paulo is beautiful in his reaction to Kaden's words, his touches.

Paulo needs to work Carl out of his system, but very quickly Paulo realises that Carl was never really there. It was the IDEA of Carl, of what Carl could be for Paulo, that lodged all that long ago. And now Kaden has, quite literally, taken Paulo in hand, Paulo knows, he KNOWS that whatever he wanted with Carl would never be a patch on what Kaden can give him.

Paulo has been with other Doms before, but the level of control that Kaden needs is far higher than he had, but also, it's what he really needs. And it really is amazing watching these two find their footing, find their kink (which isn't as high a level as I was expecting, to be honest!) and to find out, what one takes, the other gives.

Back to my question! Does Smithy, Kaden's friend and mentor get a story? With Jesse, from the restaurant perhaps?? Jesse is hurting, and I want to know why!

And the point cleared up? Paulo appears in the Mine, Body and Soul trilogy. He's mean to Lenny in those books, and it was never cleared up why. I was curious. HERE, we get why. And you understand a bit better why Paulo treated Lenny the way he does.

I was surprised at this book, and I don't know why. I don't care, cos I loved it!

5 full and shiny stars

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
  
40x40

Erika (17789 KP) rated Loki - Season 1 in TV

Jul 16, 2021 (Updated Jul 16, 2021)  
Loki - Season 1
Loki - Season 1
2021 | Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
I’ll stick with Loki’s original story-arc.
Contains spoilers, click to show
Loki, featuring the return of Tom Hiddleston to the MCU, has escaped with the tesseract, and is subsequently caught by the TVA. He agrees to help Owen Wilson’s Mobius track down a variant that is conveniently a version of himself. What ensues is a painful setup for Ironman with Magic… oh, sorry, Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness.
On one hand, my ma always told me, if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all, but on the other hand, I haven’t been this pissed off at a major franchise since Star Wars: The Last Jedi. My visceral, negative reaction was caused by many things.
First, this series did not need to be made. Loki had a perfect ending to his overall arc, and it really didn’t need to be messed with. I am a huge Tom Hiddleston fan, I went to NYC to see him in a play, waited outside freezing my butt off to meet him, all of that. I was so glad when Loki was killed off, so he’d be free to do other things, and not just be known for Loki. Alas, that did not happen.
This series was made for two subsets of fans: the fans that can’t accept the death of their favorite character, and the fans that are absolutely, irrationally obsessed with having their favorite character paired up romantically. I fall into neither of these categories. ‘More Stories to Tell’ was the tagline… it should have been ‘More Money to be Made’.
After watching the same movie in a different flavor for over ten years, I realized that maybe the MCU wasn’t for me anymore. But, when Loki was announced, I was promised something new and weird! I thought, maybe this will be the show to get me back into the MCU. That was not the case. I cannot believe the rave reviews about this series; did we all watch the same thing?
The first warning sign for me was when it was announced that Michael Waldron, who was a writer for Rick & Morty was going to be helming this series. Rick & Morty is funny… if you’re a dude-bro, drunk, or high. When I read a few of his interviews prior to the release of Loki, another warning sign, this guy kind of sounded like a huge douchebag. I was then calmed and reassured that maybe it wouldn’t be a train-wreck because Hiddleston was heavily involved in the series.
As I’ve mentioned before, we were promised something new, different, and weird. Don’t make promises you can’t keep, creative team behind Loki.
Episode 1 was cheap; did I need to see clips from previous movies used in a very uncreative way? No, I did not. There was also something just off about the casting of Wilson. Now, this may be on me because my teen-years were spent quoting Owen Wilson films. There were a few things I liked about Episode 1, like the Blade Runner robot reference. There was a red flag in this episode though. Pro-tip: never, EVER have a character verbalize/confirm that they’re smart. Because it’s probably not the case.
Episode 2 was the bright spot, it was my favorite, by far. It was fast-paced, amusing, and the most interesting episode out of the whole series. The Mt Vesuvius/unleashing of the goats thing was the sort of thing I was looking for in this series. I actually chuckled a little, which rarely happens. It moved the story along, and we get the big reveal of the Loki variant that’s causing all the havoc.
 
Episode 3 was, for lack of a better word, boring. The pace slowed, and it was the infamous Disney+ show filler episode. We’re introduced to Mary Sue, sorry, I mean Lady Loki, but not really, Sylvie, the Enchantress, right? No, wait, she’s a completely different, new character. Probably shouldn’t have opted for the name Sylvie in that case. She’s a brand new, *strong* female, that shows her strength by punching people and has no personality (see: Carol Danvers - Captain Marvel, Hope van Dyne - Ant-Man). Y’all, you told me you were going to give me something different, new, weird. A Mary Sue isn’t new, different, or weird. This episode was a get-to-know-each-other, and build a pseudo-sibling relationship, right? Because anything else would be weird in a bad way, not an interesting way. There was a considerable shift in our TVA ‘Smart’ Loki character evolution, he opened-up, announced that he was a member of the LGBTQQIAAP nation, progress! First bi-sexual character in the MCU, way to go Disney, getting with the times! It was still a filler episode though, and while the stakes seemed high, you knew that there were three more episodes to go, of course they would live.
Again, I was reassured after this lackluster episode by Hiddleston, that 4 and 5 were his favorite. That fact is now disturbing.
Episode 4 was the death knell. I think the response from the creative team afterwards was also incredibly tone-deaf, and, quite frankly, insulting. The 4th episode was so bad, I legitimately had to go cleanse my eyes and brain with a GBBO marathon. The fact that the creative team had no idea that the insta-love (see: Jane and Thor - Thor) between two characters that had seemingly formed a pseudo-sibling relationship wouldn’t come off a little incest-y is really strange to me. If a pseudo-sibling relationship was not the intention, then it was poor writing, directing and acting by all parties involved. Sometimes, when a Mary Sue punches our main character, he falls in love with her (see: Hope and Scott - Ant-Man). The whole narcissism thing was hilarious, I’m glad our TVA ‘Smart’ Loki was cured of that by Sylvie and another *strong* personality-lacking woman (see: Sif -Thor/Thor: the Dark World) kicking him between the legs was what he’d needed all along. If a small portion of this episode was actually utilizing the myth of Narcissus, then I’m glad they followed it through to the dying part. This is when everything clicked for me. Our TVA ‘Smart’ Loki’s character evolution made him a big ol’ bowl of mushy, overcooked oatmeal. HOW and WHY would you take one of the best anti-heroes in the MCU, or any superhero franchise, and make him so mushy? More importantly, I didn’t care about what happened to any of the characters, except B-15. Normally, that’s my cue to stop watching a show, but I wanted to see if they tried to convince audiences that this Oatmeal Loki was actually smart and logical.
Episode 5 was when things slightly improved. Again, I couldn’t forgive the events of Episode 4, and I totally fast-forwarded during whatever talk Loki and Mary Sue, sorry, Sylvie, had with a blankie around their shoulders. All of the other Lokis were better in their tiny amount of screen time than Oatmeal Loki and Mary Sue Loki. Alligator Loki had more personality than Sylvie. Richard Grant is the superior Loki in my opinion. This episode also reintroduced hand holding with CGI colors swirling around characters (see: Guardians of the Galaxy).
Episode 6 was our finale. Thank God. We’re introduced to the real head of the TVA, which was who everyone was expecting. This episode was a little slow-paced, with a lot of interesting chit-chat. Oatmeal Loki actually seemed like he had a brain cell or two for a few brief, fleeting moments. He even showed off some of his powers, which, by the way, we were told we’d see more of… but didn’t. Then, our Oatmeal Loki was distracted by his Mary Sue, went for a kiss, and plopped right on his ass, looking like a fool. I almost snorted my coffee as I watched. Then, they confirmed a Season 2.
Honestly, I was hoping Oatmeal Loki and Mary Sue Loki would get killed off. Sadly, it didn’t happen, and they’re getting another series, and an appearance in Ironman with Magic. I’m so glad this series was something new, different, and weird, not just the bog-standard, MCU drivel we normally get. Oh, wait… I probably don’t even need to state that this wasn’t my cup of tea, and, again, solidified the fact that I’m over the MCU. I also know that I should avoid anything Michael Waldron and Kate Herron touch. Eventually, I’ll stop feeling betrayed by Hiddleston, but it may take a while. Is that ridiculous? Probably.
  
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
2017 | Action, Adventure
great script (3 more)
very good main villain
fits so well into the mcu
back on form for spidey
suit a bit of a gimmick (0 more)
spidey back on form
spiderman homecoming, a return to form for the webslinger after a series of disapointing movies. Not since spiderman 2 has there been such a good version of the character. Is it as good as those films know but in terms of the 3rd rami film and the mark webb films this movies is head and shoulder above them. Tom holland is perfectly cast as the hero. He balances the awkwardness and geeky charm of peter parker mixed with the wisecracking and heroism of spidey perfectly. Michael Keaton plays a rare beast a good mcu villian. He plays it so well you hate what he is doing but you can feel for the guy because of what he has been through. all other characters fit there purpose even a small role from iron man brings more connection with the wider mcu and helps further the story. I like the fact they went with the more john hughs feel with this movie. Its good there keeping the character in high school because in my opinion they skipped over that two fast in previous films.

my only criticism is that i found the spiderman suit too gimmicky. he is spiderman not iron spiderman.


in all this is a great film. with a fantastic cast and a great entry into the mcu. I look forward to more spidey in the future.
  
The 20th Victim
The 20th Victim
James Patterson, Maxine Paetro | 2020 | Contemporary, Crime, Fiction & Poetry
7
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Rehearsal for Assassination?
Getting fast food turns out to be fatal for one man who is taken out by a sniper as he is leaving the drive through on morning. His wife in the seat next to him is left physically unharmed. It’s a perfect sniper shot. While Lindsay gets the case as part of her job as a San Francisco homicide detective, reporter Cindy gets a key clue. Someone wrote “Rehearsal” in the dust of the car’s back window. The question is, rehearsal for what? Meanwhile, Claire has some scary news of her own to deal with, and Yuki has to prosecute the case of a teenage getaway driver who won’t flip on the real criminals. Even Lindsay’s husband, Joe, has a case of his own when his college roommate thinks his father was murdered.

The book has one plot too many (and a repetitive one at that), and it would have been better served to eliminate that plot since the climax was rushed on all the stories but especially the main one. Still, the multiple stories kept thing moving as always, and I had a hard time putting the book down when I sat down to read. The characters are just developed enough for us to care, but could use more depth. This is a common issue with the series, and those who have kept up with the books know the characters well enough to care for them. In other words, this is a typical James Patterson thriller. If you are a fan, you’ll enjoy this one, too.
  
A Streetcar Named Murder
A Streetcar Named Murder
3
3.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Promising First Draft, but Needed Lots of Work
Valerie Cooper is facing changes in her life. A young widow, her twin sons are now off at college, and she struggling to fill her days. An unexpected letter reveals she’s inherited the estate of one of her late husband’s great uncles, a man that Valerie didn’t know existed. The inheritance includes an antique shop. Meanwhile, Valerie attends a Halloween costume ball, but the night ends when she finds a woman she knows stabbed to death outside the dance. What is going on?

I sat down to read this hoping to find a new series I’d enjoy. Sadly, it was very disappointing. The author tried for something different when it came to the plot, which I appreciate, but the result wasn’t plotted well at all but did pick up in the second half. It wasn’t helped by Valerie’s constant reflections on her life before her husband died and questioning why she’d never heard of this great uncle. While this is important for Valerie’s character growth, it got to be a bit much. Unfortunately, the ARC I read was also riddled with errors that should have been caught in editing, some of which made me question if what I saw from the suspects was the suspects hiding something or the sloppy editing. Meanwhile, the author goes too far in making the victim unlikeable, turning her one dimensional. I did like Valerie and her family and friends. But there is not enough good here to recommend the book.
  
Sink or Swim: Part One (Aria & the Seven Seas, #1)
Sink or Swim: Part One (Aria & the Seven Seas, #1)
Gwyneira Blythe | 2022 | Erotica, Paranormal, Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Aria's back... and she's TROUBLE!
SINK OR SWIM is Aria's story. Well, the first part of it at least. We first met her in the Wildeward Academy series but you don't need to have read those - although I HIGHLY RECOMMEND you do!

Aria is happy with her life Topside, performing with her band and getting sustenance that way. When she is summoned back to the Deep, she has no idea what's going to happen.

Oh, man. What a start! Aria is a blast, always has been, always will be. I couldn't figure out just how she would settle down, but Ms Blythe hasn't let me down! Instead of one mate, Aria is going to have multiple. They'll need each other too, to keep her appetite fed.

It's not all fun and games though, oh no. We have assassination attempts, political intrigue, slimy want-to-punch-them-in-the-face characters, as well as our wannabe Royal Pod. We've met two for sure, probably three of the heirs, and I'm hoping we meet the others soon.

A brilliant start to the trilogy with a favourite character of mine from Wildeward. I really need to read them again! I think I'll finish Aria's story first though. Do I recommend this book? You betcha! Absolutely loved it and can't wait for more.

** 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!