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Love Unexpected (Beacons of Hope, #1)
10
10.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Lighthouses are a thing of beauty. Yet they are also to be feared and respected. The dangers of being a lightkeeper are known all too well to Patrick Garraty.

Emma Chambers has longed for nothing more than to settle down and have a home and a family. When her and her brother Ryan are stranded in Burnham's Landing, a little fishing village on Lake Huron, her dream becomes reality. Patrick Garraty, the head keeper at the Presque Isle Lighthouse, has recently lost his wife and is need of someone to help run the lighthouse as well as raise his son Josiah. Circumstances couldn't have worked out better, except when Patrick's past literally comes knocking at the door. Will his past crimes and sins destroy all that Emma has come to love? Will she be able to forgive him for his mistakes? Will they ever be able to cherish the unexpected love that has come into their lives?

Jody Hedlund has done it again! She sucked me into this story until all I could think about was what was going to happen next? I have to admit I was quite anxious the whole time I was reading Love Unexpected. Not only because I was constantly hoping that Emma and Patrick would be able to work things out, but because of the realness of the past coming back to haunt us. I believe that a lot of people have things in their past that they would prefer to be left forgotten. But as Jody touched on so accurately, when we ask the Lord's forgiveness he forgives, and forgets. Tossing our sins into the swirling waves of grace where they are dissolved and never brought back up. The only thing left for us to do is forgive ourselves and walk forward. Trusting in Him and letting Him lead our steps. Then, if our past does try to resurface, we can rest in God. Knowing that that is no longer who we are or what we do. We have been forgiven, cleansed and are His holy children. I look forward to the release of the second book in Beacons of Hope series Hearts Made Whole.

As part of their Blogger Review Program I received a free digital copy of Love Unexpected from Bethany House Publishers through Net Galley.

Check out the prequel to Love Unexpected for free! Out of the Storm
  
The Germ who would be King is a silly cartoon of what was going on in 2020. With all the talk about Covid 19. This book helps explain to children what was going on with a virus. We were all talking about during the 2020 year. However, we are still dealing with it today.

This book shows how a virus was taking over everything and how it dominated our society. In a fun and funny way. Though this is funny, would you please take the virus seriously and prevent it from getting it?

It takes place with a germ that wants to dominate the world for its evil plans. Will it work? Or will humans learn to take the precious and separate and do things differently to draft a nasty germ? The first time I read it, It was not funny for me. But when I was reading it a little as my mom read it. I got a little chuckle out of it. We all need a few books like that. Especially the way 2020 was and how everything flipped upside down. We still are dealing with it. But a little humor and taking the things to stop the virus is a good thing.

I do love the pictures. I did enjoy the virus cartoon image; It's charming. The way the plot exists is fun. Children will enjoy this as well as parents, I am sure.
  
A Pornographic Affair (Une Liaison Pornographique) (1999)
A Pornographic Affair (Une Liaison Pornographique) (1999)
1999 | Drama, Romance
(0 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"Rounding out my list would be a love story, and it’s a French film called An Affair of Love. That has always gotten me. It’s funny, I only know it on VHS; I got it years ago on VHS. I don’t remember if it was to study, you know, as a sprouting actor, and learning my craft, or if I just grabbed it. I had a friend at the time who was a struggling actor — you know, I don’t think God’s call for him was acting — but he worked at Blockbuster while we were all trying to make ends meet. I think he was doing inventory, if I’m not wrong. It was before Blockbuster was going to close, and I think I grabbed it one night, late at Blockbuster, trying to help him do inventory. But it’s An Affair of Love and it’s just incredible. Two lovers who basically, in France, to and from their respective jobs, on the train, to a room, but we never really see them in the room where they’re going, to have this affair. They start to fall for each other, then the cameras come in the room. Otherwise, we just see their physical persons walking down the hall, and then exiting, and then, sort of with their own friends or co-workers, trying to figure out what this is that’s happening to them. You finally get what they feel, by the cameras coming into the room, once they start to fall, and of course, when they fall in love, then the affair’s over. They can’t take it. It’s just brilliant. It’s called An Affair of Love. It’s a great film."

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Hunting Prince Dracula
Hunting Prince Dracula
Kerri Maniscalco | 2017 | Mystery, Thriller, Young Adult (YA)
10
8.9 (9 Ratings)
Book Rating
Contains spoilers, click to show
I absolutely adore Kerri’s writing in this one! I loved the folklore added into the story (I think I learned more in this one that I did in the first one) and that we got to explore Thomas’s family history and learn more about him.

I mentioned in my review for STJR that the ending had took me by surprise but that I could go back to add up the clues dropped throughout the book. The ending to this one, however, caught me completely off guard! I knew most of the suspects were red herrings but I hadn’t thought that this character would do what they did! Especially given their reasoning behind their actions.

I also loved that we were able to explore Cressworth some more in this book (the tension was killing me at certain moments) but given THAT part of the ending, I’m hoping we get even more of their romance in the third book. ?

The new characters added were some of my favorite side characters. I’m hoping they’ll pop up in any future books (if Kerri adds on after the third one she’s announced) for assistance for Audrey Rose and Thomas in a future case. These two really do remind me of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson and I absolutely love it!
  
Accidental Bonds (Elemental Bonds, #1)
Accidental Bonds (Elemental Bonds, #1)
Marie Reynard | 2023 | LGBTQ+, Paranormal, Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
ACCIDENTAL BONDS is the first book in the Elemental Bonds series and, as far as I can tell, is the debut book by this author. What a way to start!!!

There is everything here you could wish for - history, two sides uneasy with each other, a big bad, another who knows what. I loved every word! The back and forth between Victor and Elijah was almost like a dance, and I loved how it happened with reason, not miscommunication. It was for Victor and Elijah to figure out what to do next; not to have half-spoken words taken the wrong way. I loved it.

There is a HEA for our main two - although I'd still love more from them - and a HFN for the series. This one ends on a delightful note, leaving you wanting more immediately. I can't wait to see where we go next. A book to lose yourself in, I HIGHLY recommend it.

** 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; the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jul 5, 2023
  
Fifty Shades of Grey
Fifty Shades of Grey
E.L. James | 2012 | Fiction & Poetry
10
6.6 (103 Ratings)
Book Rating
It's difficult to explain this book without being inappropriate towards a younger audience but I'll do my best.

EL James takes a lot of women's fantasies, that they are too afraid to ever ask their partner to try, and normalises them. A lot of people have described this book as "mummy porn" and okay yes maybe to a degree it is. However it is also so much more, it inadvertently investigates how far we are willing to push ourselves and change for someone we believe we are attracted to or even love. I don't know if she meant to but she certainly challenged mindsets with this book and challenges what we consider normal and acceptable behaviour.

It also brought the BDSM culture into the light and helped make it a lot less taboo. Until this book was released BDSM was seen as sex dungeons, dirty old men and scared, low self-esteem girls. This book helped challenge and change this perception and open people's minds to alternative forms of.... enjoyment.


It is certainly worth a read, if nothing else just to give you an alternative perspective of what society should and shouldn't see as acceptable in relationships.
  
    Phonics Studio

    Phonics Studio

    Education and Games

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    App

    "WOW… this is the best app for speech therapy that I have found." Phonics Studio makes learning...

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Juliette Jackson recommended track Rip It Up by Orange Juice in Rip It Up by Orange Juice in Music (curated)

 
Rip It Up by Orange Juice
Rip It Up by Orange Juice
1982 | Pop, Punk
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

Rip It Up by Orange Juice

(0 Ratings)

Track

"It's such a tune! That's the main reason it's on this list, I want everyone to listen to it more. I love the vocal delivery – that crooning is my favourite – that really smooth, male, cheesy-sounding vocal: I love it. “I love the sentiment. I don't know exactly what it's about but I'm guessing it's about when you meet someone for the first time and you screw it up and you gotta start again. Or you meet someone and you're too awkward to be cool and you're like ""fuck! I just wish I could meet you all over again and be a cool, normal person.” I love the lyrics ""When I next saw you, my heart reached out for you! My hands stuck like glue to my sides."" It sounds like the feeling you have in a dream where you can't run. It's another one we listen to in the van all the time. It's just such a banger. “We always wanted to do a cover of it but we haven't quite got round to it yet. I really enjoy covers. It's really fun to take someone else's song and rip it up, pull it apart and add new music into it, whole new parts, or take lyrics out and put new lyrics in and just fuck it up. I love playing covers live and surprising people with them, because we can see it in their faces: they know we're playing something they know, but they can't work out where they know it from, because we're playing it so differently. “At the moment we're covering Bonnie Tyler's “Total Eclipse of the Heart” and it's just so bombastic: I didn't wanna totally change it. We used to play a cover of Madonna's “Beautiful Stranger” and that one was really different from the original. If we did ‘Rip It Up’ I'd definitely sing it in that crooning voice, because I love it so much. I'd get Celia to try and play that weird bubbly bass line with some cool pedal."

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