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ClareR (6106 KP) rated The Surf House in Books

Feb 22, 2026  
The Surf House
The Surf House
Lucy Clarke | 2025 | Contemporary, Mystery, Thriller
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Surf House is an entertaining, fast moving, atmospheric thriller, and really doesn’t do many favours for the Moroccan tourist board. Bea is attacked in an alleyway after she decides to leave her modelling set in Marrakesh, and when a woman comes to her rescue, the unthinkable happens.

Bea is invited to The Surf House to hide out and gather her thoughts, and it seems idyllic. The descriptions of the sea, surfers and the beach almost made me want to learn how to surf somewhere hot (almost). But at the same time, it’s clear that there’s something else going on. Something rotten. When Bea finds out that a young woman went missing a year ago, she starts to notice more things that don’t seem right.

There are so many twists, turns and dead ends that kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. I did find myself wanting to shout at her to just leave - I was so frustrated! She is pretty naive. But this is so well written and evocative of the setting and Bea’s feelings when she feels trapped and scared (and she feels those things a lot!), that I can forgive her naivety!

Ideal for those who enjoy a good thriller!
  
Victorian Psycho
Victorian Psycho
Virginia Feito | 2025 | Fiction & Poetry, Horror, Humor & Comedy, Thriller
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Unhinged. That’s the first word that comes to mind when I think of Victorian Psycho. I mean she is. A psycho, that is.

Is it nature or nurture? Macabre, blood thirsty thoughts go through her mind, and to begin with I wasn’t sure if she was “thinking” or “doing”. Comedy horror, except dark, dark comedy, this book made me laugh as well as cringe. Victorian repression let loose with homicidal mania. To be perfectly honest, these people deserve it. Uptight snobs who treat servants terribly, and the servants let them because they need the job. Not the Nanny. She’s taking none of their nonsense.

The question running through my mind as I was reading wasn’t: “Will she murder someone horrifically?”. It was more: When and how will she murder someone, and who will she start with? It’s going to be horrific!” And it’s not who you’d think.

A dark, dark read with a touch of Dickensian social commentary. The Nanny is an antihero who I ended up backing, of course. Please don’t judge me - I don’t condone murder of the rich though! 🫢

Great writing and well worth a read. Just close your eyes during the most blood-thirsty parts *nods sagely*.
  
LifeShift
LifeShift
Michael Kott | 2018 | Mystery, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
www.diaryofdifference.com
Things can change in a moment. All it takes it that tiny second that can turn our lives upside down. This happened to Alex. See, one day, he is just this unpopular boy that goes to school, and works to earn a little something for himself. Then, in one little moment, he is about to be hit by a train. Only - a miracle happens and he remains alive. But something changed. No, EVERYTHING changed. A new girl comes to school the next morning and tells him he is an Eternal, just like her, a person that lives many lives and keeps getting reborn. He is also supposed to remember his past lives once he turns 18. And not only that, but he also needs to go on a mission to find another Eternal, that would lead them to Zeus.

Bonus: This book is filled with Greek Mythology characters, but they are not the Greek Gods as we know them - they are all Eternals and have a special new fictional story.

I know some of you guys messaged me that the synopsis of the book looked so complicated, and it put you off. The story is actually quite interesting and easy to understand, once you start reading it. So go on, and put this on your TBRs!

The story and the plot itself are so unique - I haven’t read anything like this before. Michael managed to recreate a whole new world, and new type of creatures - Eternals. I loved the idea of the Eternals - people that have many lives and remember their previous lives. They can even choose where they want to get born next, and how to look. I also loved the superpowers they have - communicating through thoughts and dreams, healing, reading the past of a person by touching their hand… However, in many places in the book this was described too fast and too wide - there would be 5 pages of an essay of only description. I would much prefer if we could explore the story and history through the characters more.

The characters were likable. All of them. I liked Alex - he was a typical American boy. Sometimes a bit oblivious to everything happening around him. I found it a bit upsetting how he couldn’t choose who he wanted to be with. But on the other side, I quite admired him for how he coped when his world just changed in an instant, and so many people he knew were not what he thought they were, and on top of that he had to choose who to trust and who not to, and he had to agree to go on a mission that risks his life, even though he still couldn’t remember if he was an Eternal, which meant that maybe he is not like them at all.

Circe was an interesting character too. Such an energetic person with a wild personality - she would be the one that brightens up a room as soon as she walks into it. She can also be very possessive of the people she loves. She quite reminds me of myself in my teenage years in everything she did - funny, reckless moments - all worth remembering. Even though I couldn’t find a favourite character, all the people we meet in the book were equally loved by me.

This is an amazing story - a fiction fantasy that gathered Greek Mythology characters and created something entirely new. I enjoyed it a lot and I can’t wait for the next book of the series to come out. This book opens up a great discussion about people that can be reborn and remember their past. My view on life is that once we die, our soul goes into another body that gets born in the exact same moment, and even though we don’t remember it, we always carry a piece of that inside our hearts. There are occasions though, where some people remember their past lives.

What are your thoughts about life after death? Would you maybe pick this book up?

A special thank you to the author, Michael Kott, who send me a copy of LifeShift in exchange for an honest review. All my thoughts are my own, and completely unbiased.
  
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Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated What Men Want (2019) in Movies

Jun 22, 2019 (Updated Sep 25, 2019)  
What Men Want (2019)
What Men Want (2019)
2019 | Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
Who wouldn't want to know what goes through a man's mind on occasion? Actually, you know what... I'm fine, I'm not sure I really want to hear everything... *shudder*

Ali is looking for the recognition she deserves for the hard work she puts in. She's successful, but in an office full of men she might not get out of her lane and be equal with the men around her. Without the supernatural twist the outcome could have eventually been the same, but that wouldn't have made for such an entertaining movie.

What Men Want is entirely predictable, after all we saw it all before in What Women Want but it's also like a whole bunch of romcoms out there. Character encounters an obstacle, character finds romance, character finds a way to fix the obstacle and in the process of that mucks up romance, obstacle gets fixed, character realises that none of it is worthwhile without romance and gets them back with big gesture, The End.

Taraji P. Henson is right up near the top of my favourite actresses, she's got so many great performances under her belt. Ali isn't going to appear very near the top of that list. Everything in Ali, as well as the film, seems to be at opposite ends of the scale. When we have comedy it sometimes feels over the top, when we have real life it's serious. Had there been more of a balance I think we could have had a better result. That being said, I thought she was great, she's very good at visual acting.

When it comes to the supporting cast it doesn't quite hit the spot. Again, this is partly due to the Jekyll and Hyde nature of everything. You've got characters who are serious, textbook romcomers, some for comedy and a handful of sports stars doing cameos, it's difficult to make them all gel. Pete Davidson and Tracy Morgan in both stick out from the rest because they bring quite a harsh comedy which I didn't find all that entertaining.

On the flip side though I was pleased to see Aldis Hodge make an appearance, he's got just the right amount of humour and serious in there and against Henson in scenes he works particularly well. Josh Brener also brought something fun to the mix, and possibly had the best part overall. Getting to sit on both sides of the storyline allows him to interact in fun ways with Ali when she's discovering her abilities as well as later on when he's trying to hide his inner thoughts.

Speaking of which, men's inner thoughts throughout aren't badly done, though there's the occasional over the top effort. Jamal Barry/Shane Paul McGhie had the winner for me when he was meeting his sporting hero though.

Looking back at this film I think I'm actually talking it out of stars in my head. I enjoyed it a lot at the cinema, it was funny (if a little excessive at times) and it eventually shows Ali being able to empower herself even if she does cock it up along the way. It flowed well and I wasn't finding myself urging it along... but... it's not a massively consistent film. The storyline with her female friends in obviously essential to the beginning but its addition later on holds little impact apart from giving her multiple points to claim some redemption.

I can honestly say that on first viewing I was amused and entertained, but I'm not sure how well it would hold up to a second.

What you should do

When talking to people who have seen What Men Want it is fairly consistent, men tend not to like it while women say they found it entertaining (admittedly that's somewhere between 2.5 and 4 stars). I think it's worth watching, and it would probably make a good film for a girls night.

Movie thing you wish you could take home

I've completely talked myself out of hearing men's thoughts so maybe box seats instead?
  
Original Review posted at <a title="The Ambrose Beacon by Alena Gouveia" href="http://bookwyrming-thoughts.blogspot.com/2013/11/review-the-ambrose-beacon-by-alena-gouveia.html">Bookwyrming Thoughts<a/>

Note: Formatting is lost due to copy and paste, along with pictures and captions
<i><b>Disclaimer:</b> Review copy provided by author for review</i>
 
     Let me blunt about The Ambrose Beacon: it was boring. It also became the third unfortunate book that lands into my DNF list and the first fantasy book – oh wait. Not exactly the first... does the Caster Chronicles count as Fantasy, or does it count as Paranormal? If it counts as paranormal, then The Ambrose Beacon became the unfortunate first fantasy book I didn't finish.

      So essentially, I give fair warning: I rated and reviewed it based on what I could manage to read so far. Which, I think I was being a bit lenient about, but I didn't throw the book against the wall, so it certainly didn't deserve a lower rating.

      Now allow me to tell why I found it boring, and my general thoughts on it:

      Larry and Jerry. They sound so similar (they rhyme as well), that I was befuddled and mistakenly read Jerry as Larry and vice-versa when it was really the other way around. They're best friends and one of them is the main character. How confusing can that get?

     The characters don't seem to be in depth. While I get the why for Harper and Arianna, the other characters simply seem virtually pancake-like (no offense). Add to the fact that it suddenly switches POVs without some sort of sign. One minute it's Cole, the next? Dinah, Jerry, Harper, Vaughn, etc. >_<

      Fairies. Probably one of my favorite things to read about, and it's not because they're sparkly and pretty and whatnot. But I was actually interested in Gouveia's take on fairies when the word was
mentioned in the earliest parts of the book.

      Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be well written, nor realistic. I mean, doing magic in public. In front of human eyewitnesses. That doesn't sound like the typical faery to me that tries to not let the human world find out about them because then it's all, "IT'S THE APOCALYPSE. I must be seeing things," or maybe, "HOLY MONKEYS. FAIRIES EXIST" *rubs eyes to make sure it's not an illusion.* But the fairies here seem like a bounce off of Fantastic Four (even though I haven't watched the movie). More like superheroes than the sidhe.
 
     The same thing is repeated, but in different variations. Oh hooray. Demons, demons and more demons. Same kind of demon, which isn't a problem for me, but the very fact that they tend to be doing the same thing over and over and over again throughout the entire book, which is the main reason why I stopped (I really did stop at exactly 50%). There's not a lot going on, although maybe if I had the time and gave the book further chances, there might be other things going on rather than "OMG, THERE'S A DEMON THAT WANTS MY HEAD ON A PLATTER. RUN." (or in the case here, it's fight to the death.)

     Generally I like fantasy. I love the creative worlds and character and creatures made up that gives me a free ticket to travel – okay, that applies to any book really – without having to move a single inch, and the very fact that you can't exactly buy a plane ticket to the area in the first place. Someone tell me if we can really buy a plane ticket to the Faery Realms if you so disagree on that fact. Of course... I wouldn't exactly try and mess with fairies in the first place.

      I tried liking the story. I thought first thought it was because of reading The Jungle, which is dreadfully boring, and it may have influenced my thoughts on this one. Then I read Allegiant for awhile and came back to it. It didn't work out well either (and Allegiant didn't bore me).

      So simply put, The Ambrose Beacon is not really my cup of tea.

      *eats a biscuit and avoids unsweetened tea*

      I really hate giving bad reviews. Especially DNFs.
  
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Every girl has a secret she hopes the light will never find–but the demons already have.

Four girls. Four sets of secrets. Four searching for answers.

Mackenzie is the shy, awkward new girl at school, depressed and desperate for a real friend. When she stumbles upon the deepest secret of a sarcastic, angry-at-the-world track star, Krystal, they become instant enemies-especially about the flirtatious baseball player, Bryce.

Tammi, a gloomy singer/musician who couldn’t care less about what others think of her, meets Sadie, a dancer and a people-pleaser with a cotton candy disposition. They have nothing in common until their lives begin to collide in more ways than one.

As the girls’ worlds begin to converge, their secrets rather than their similarities draw them together. Meanwhile, all that’s kept hidden has left them vulnerable to a battle in an invisible realm where demonic creatures fight to keep the girls chained to their pasts while angels of light work to free them.

Can good ever come from evil? Can beauty ever arise from ashes?





My Thoughts: This is an amazing story of how 4 teenage girls deal not only with every day teenage issues, but with a war with demons. There is a war waging around us that we can not see and this book illustrates this extremely well. Do we think of where our bad moods and thoughts come from? This is an intense and creative novel that truly illustrates what goes on in a realm that we cannot see. This novel teaches us that with God, we can be set free from our past and win the battle against evil.


In this story-line, not only did the girls had to deal with some issues from their past, from abuse, arents dealing with depression and alcoholism; they had their usual teenage issues to deal with as well. We as readers learn how they all came together to face these demons controlling them and winning the war.


While reading this book, it made me think what is happening around me when I have a bad thought or a bad mood; those demons in this book will come to my mind to remind me that all I need to do is turn to God in prayer.


The unbelievers are given the gospel and learn how to trust in God and learn how prayer works in their lives.


This was an amazing book, those who enjoy reading about the spiritual realm around us will certainly enjoy this book as much as I did. I am looking forward to her next book in the Beauty from the Ashes series "The Uninvited".
  
Olivia Dixon is the youngest of 4 sisters and 1 brother. Her family regards her as the “baby”, the “danty one”, the one to handle with kid gloves, or she might crack. Olivia would do anything for her sisters and especially her brother, including turning her back on the one man that is her perfect match.

Cody Madsen can’t believe his happily ever after is the little sister of his best friend. The same best friend who thinks he wouldn’t be able to offer anything but heartbreak to any woman he dates. Can he change everyone’s mind about who he really is?

Olivia and Cody have some mad chemistry, chemistry they both admit to but they have to keep under control so Connor doesn’t find out. They’ve made rule after rule to keep their thoughts totally clean toward one another. But those rules don’t mean a thing when Cody sees Olivia naked emerging from the bathroom. All cohesive thoughts go out the window at that point. They decide the only way to truly get over each other is to date other people. Olivia sets up a profile for each of them on a dating website and they both find matches. When Cody realizes he’s been stood up for his date he goes to leave the restaurant and sees Olivia. She realizes she’s been stood up too, they surmise that maybe they were matched with each other by the computer. Even the computer thinks they belong together. Will they keep their relationship hands off or go with the force that seems to be constantly pushing them together?

Cody and Olivia both want to keep Connor happy and risk his wrath if he finds out they are together. Together they realize that it isn’t just about making Connor happy or risking his disappointment. They have to come together and find a way to develop their relationship outside of their friendship. After some trickery, of course, using the dating app, some misunderstandings, awkward dating while loving someone else, a sex club (cue visit from Mac AND Dooley squeal), deep down soul confessions and a TON of chocolate chip cookies, they figure out they can definitely have the best of both worlds.

Going for Four continued a wonderful series involving the Dixon family (spun from the Bradford series) in which you get totally sucked into the family dynamics. These are people I would love to hang out with in real life. Ms Nicholas once again has you along for the ride of your life. I can’t recommend these 2 series’ enough. Just Everyday Heroes are just what I need in my every day life!!