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Platform Seven
Platform Seven
Louise Doughty | 2019 | Fiction & Poetry, Mystery
6
6.0 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
173 of 235
Book
Platform Seven
By Louise Doughty
⭐️⭐️⭐️

Platform Seven at 4am: Peterborough Railway Station is deserted. The man crossing the covered walkway on this freezing November morning is confident he's alone. As he sits on the metal bench at the far end of the platform it is clear his choice is strategic - he's as far away from the night staff as he can get.
What the man doesn't realise is that he has company. Lisa Evans knows what he has decided. She knows what he is about to do as she tries and fails to stop him walking to the platform edge.
Two deaths on Platform Seven. Two fatalities in eighteen months - surely they're connected?
No one is more desperate to understand what connects them than Lisa Evans herself. After all, she was the first of the two to die.


I really struggled with rating this book as I’m so undecided how I feel about it. First it does need a trigger warning for Suicide as it’s a heavy feature through the book also Mental abuse. Oh god i honestly don’t know how I feel it’s definitely a book that compels you to keep reading and you just need to know what happened to this woman and the lives she’s touched or visits during the book each character has a story to tell even those you only see briefly. It’s a talking point and makes you really think! I’ve settled on 3 stars as the book was so compelling in not sure enjoyed reading it is the right phase but I definitely didn’t put it down.
  
98 of 230
Kindle
Death be Rising ( Terra Vane book 7)
By Katie Evers ( Katie Epstein)
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶

Zombies. Freaking zombies.

Terra knew an apocalypse would hit her one day. Throw in the nightmare of the walking dead and she’s ready to run for the hills. But that wouldn’t be professional. Not when the haunting zombies are the work of a powerful mage who has escaped to Earthside and taken an abandoned mall hostage.

With no choice but to work alongside the US military, Terra and the gang have to hide their gifts and act like the humans. Grady is tactical. He can lead them in. But the closer they get, the more dangerous it becomes trying to keep their secret. So dangerous, it might get them all killed. Or eaten.


I absolutely love this series! This is the 8th book and we are getting to see the big guns when it comes to Terra finding all the escapees from a supernatural prison. This had zombies so that right there is a win for me! Now if I’m going to be super picky over 2 things that stress me out with this book 1. Is whoever proof read this didn’t do the best of jobs there are little bits of grammar and mistakes through most of the book and yes I’m being super picky but I don’t know about anyone else but it stalls the reading and knocks me off a little. 2. Is I can never find the author due to all the name changes 😂! Other than that the book and series are just really really good!
Oh and hallelujah Kane finally gives in!!!!!!
  
Hot Conduit (Hot Under the Collar #2)
Hot Conduit (Hot Under the Collar #2)
Katherine McIntyre | 2024 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
10
10.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
HOT CONDUIT is the second book in the Hot Under the Collar series, and we meet Theo and Lex in more detail.

The sparks fly immediately between these two but an early misunderstanding leads to a very prickly relationship - in other words, neither of them likes the other. Unfortunately for them, they're in the same friend group so see each other frequently. Luckily, they've got someone through the CoffeeDates app they can speak to. Unluckily, it's still them! This led to some laugh-out-loud moments when they were complaining to each other about each other!

It took some time for Lex and Theo to change their relationship. In fact, it was only really at the end, BUT it worked. They both needed the time to figure out that the other was nothing like people in their past. I loved the meeting with Lex's ex and how Theo finally had someone stand up for him. Family can be like that sometimes - not meaning to hurt but not thinking about what they're doing or saying.

I loved this book. I loved returning to the characters and seeing how Rhys, Cole, and Sammy are getting on. I loved the reactions in various scenes - goat yoga, anyone? But most of all I loved Theo and Lex for walking a rocky path and finding each other!

Absolutely brilliant and HIGHLY 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, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Feb 6, 2024
  
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Hazel (2934 KP) rated The Housemates in Books

Jan 12, 2018  
TH
The Housemates
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I can’t put it into words how much I enjoyed this book. There are only a select few books that I can’t help talking about with my family and work colleagues, whether they want to hear about it or not, but this is one of them … I just couldn’t help myself!

Be warned, there is gratuitous violence throughout!

I’m not going to give anything away about the story-line but basically, it’s a twisted Big Brother with a bit of Saw thrown in for good measure where the contestants have to take part in tasks and eliminations with the last person standing having the chance of walking away with £2 million.

The contestants inside the house are a mix of characters some of which more likeable than others and some thoroughly despicable … we learn more about each person as time goes on and it can be a bit of an eye-opener in some cases.

Now, I'm not going to sit here and tell you that this is going to put your brain cells to work extra hard nor am I going to say that the twist is a massive surprise but what I will say is that if you, like me, are a little bit sick of the raft of reality TV programmes being rammed down our throats and just wish they would up the anti just a little, then this is the book for you!

Thank you to the author for sending me a copy in return for an honest and unbiased review. I will, most definitely, read more from Mr Wright as I do like a bit of gore every now and then 😃.
  
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Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated Gate 76 in Books

Apr 9, 2019  
Gate 76
Gate 76
Andrew Diamond | 2018 | Mystery, Thriller
7
7.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Freddy Ferguson is a private investigator. While walking through the San Francisco airport, a blonde woman catches his attention as she is being escorted on to a flight to Hawaii. She doesn't look very pleased with her escort, maybe this is why she catches Freddy's attention. There are other people in the airport as well that seem to be watching her and her escort to see if they are doing what they should. After she boards the plane and her "handlers" clear the area, she gets off the Hawaii flight and gets on another bound for Chicago. Shortly after take off, the Hawaii flight explodes in the air. Did this woman know the plane was going to blow up? Where did she go and do the people who were looking after her know? Now working with the airline to try and find who did this, Freddy finds corruption in the highest of places. Will he be able to find out what is going on and find the girl?

Thank you to NetGalley and Stolen Time Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.

At first this book started out slow for me. I didn't like taking so much time flashing back to Freddy's life. I'm not sure how it tied in with his current situation. Over all the book was pretty good. I felt a very personal connection to the book with all the places mentioned in it in the Washington, D.C. area where I currently live and in Texas where I spent my college years driving all around the state.

Overall, the book was pretty good, redeeming itself towards the end, keeping me drawn in to find out what was going to happen in the end.
  
Overlord (2018)
Overlord (2018)
2018 | Action, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Overbored
#overlord is overlong, #boring, repetitive dross with no #soul of its own.
I was looking forward to this #film walking in, it looked like a throw back to 2002 #action horror films like #DogSoldiers, #Deathwatch & #28dayslater but it couldnt be any further from any of them if it tried. When Overlord is a #war film its passable enough (mainly because it outright steals all the best bits from #savingprivateryan & #bandofbrothers) but its when it tries its hand at horror it becomes down right #embarrassing. We know whats lurking in the basement going into the film but for some reason it keeps it a mystery for far to long instead feeding us this dull recycled generic plot we've seen a million times before we get to 'what we came to see'. Once the horror hits its done extremely poorly, lacking in suspense, quality & grittiness. I get they were going for a kid of #grindhouse sort of style but it takes itself far to seriously losing the fun of such a film. Acting is as painful as the dialog which is delivered by most of the cast as if you gave a script to someone on the street & asked them to read it. Not one character is likable & they all seem to be un phased by wounds or the horrors they witness. #Creature design is unimaginative, cgi is #poor & set pieces are dull however there are some great tracking shots at times & a bit of nice imagery but its to few & far between. Its nice to see an 18 certificate film like this for a change but I found Overlord to be a huge let down & a big wasted opportunity. Pitty. #odeon #odeonlimitless #horror #gore #scary #natzi #war #worldwar #thursdaythoughts #filmbuff #filmcritic #ww2 #nasty #zombies #halloween #callofduty
  
Shiftless (Wolf Rampant, #1)
Shiftless (Wolf Rampant, #1)
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Terra is shiftless --- a werewolf uncomfortable in her own animal skin.
A decade after learning to squash her wolf and flee the repressive village where she grew up, the packless ache still gnaws at Terra's insides. But despite her yearnings, she struggles against being reeled back into her old life.
To Terra's dismay, her father and half a dozen of his henchmen finally ambush her and demand her return. Yet they do offer one way out --- hunt down her nephew Keith, teach him to shift, and bring the youngster back into the fold in her place.
Problem upon problem piles up as Terra strives to do her father's bidding. The female shifter has hidden from her wolf for so long that she finds herself unable to change back into canine form, and she also realizes that her nephew is too good-natured to survive for a minute walking in his grandfather's footsteps. Plus, there's an alpha standing in her way who's equal parts enticing and terrifying.
Will Terra be able to relearn her werewolf abilities --- and overcome her morals --- before her father steals away her hard-earned independence? And as that tantalizing alpha reels her in closer and closer, the question becomes --- does she really want to stay away?

This is the story of Terra Wilder who is 27 now; She left her home and wolf pack ten years ago.
Her father who is the Alpha of her old pack has tracked her down and given her an ultimatum.
Terra has made herself shiftless by locking away her wolf side in her mind for the past 10 years and now needs it.
This is definitely different from other shifter novels which I like about it.
Good plot, great characters and can't wait to see how they develop.
Really good story and can't believe it's a first novel.
Recommend reading.
  
Fistful of Dollars (1964)
Fistful of Dollars (1964)
1964 | Adventure, Western
A Solid Spaghetti Western
A Fistful of Dollars doesn't succeed because the film as a whole is perfect. Rather there are a number of memorable scenes that perfectly captivate an audience and make the film irresistible. There are moments of extended silence periods where only a guitar is playing while the camera pans back and forth from one face to the next. These moments are extremely powerful and quickly trains the audience into knowing that as soon as you see this happen, it's about to go down. No matter how many times director Sergio Leone relies on this effect, it never loses its excitement.

In mentioning scenes, a lot of favorites comes to mind. One scene in particular involves Joe (Clint Eastwood) walking past the undertaker who warns Joe that the men he's about to face will probably kill him. "Get three coffins ready," is Joe's badass reply. After killing the entire crew in what felt like a blink, Joe goes, "My mistake. Four coffins." Definitely put a huge smile on my face.

It's scenes like these that instantly make you fall in love's with Eastwood's character. The guy just bleeds badass. Nothing rattles him. Not only does he get out of tight pinches, but he does it with style. Towards the back half of the film, he takes his performance to even higher heights with some very cool action sequences. Action sorely needed after the film stumbled a bit in the middle with too much dialogue.

When Joe arrives in town as a complete stranger, his goal is simple: Pit two rival families against each other while making a lot of money in the process. The body count is high which keeps the excitement level even higher. Very enjoyable. I give the film an 89.
  
<a href="https://awindowintobooks.wordpress.com">Full Review</a>
The Born Again Runner by Pete Magill is about motivating people to get out there and run. The book is simple, has a clear structure. It has three sections which are before, during, and after the process of becoming a runner, each with four chapters. Each chapter begins with an introduction and ends with a summary to reinforce the lesson. My favorite part of each chapter is the "becoming a runner" profile, which is a story of a man or woman who one day decided to start running. Some are now record holders, some are ordinary people who like to run. They are all inspirational.

I like the persistent focus on starting easy and slow, which is something a lot of beginners do not realize or simply forget. The biggest mistake for any runner is in the actual training itself. In the book Magill talks about how in the beginning programs people should spend the first three weeks walking. I think this makes sense for those who are "couch potatoes" and are just getting out and being active. This; however, will be extremely frustrating to active people who want to start running. The training schedules focuses on time rather than mileage. This makes sense for those who are beginning. I like that he recommends strides and hill sprints for speed workouts.

The sections on "mythbusting" and on running and racing etiquette are nothing an experienced runner does not know, but useful for the real beginner. The section on "mistakes" is something even experienced runners could use a reminder on, and the injury prevention exercises would be useful to all runners.

I received this book from The Experiment via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.