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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2177 KP) rated Death on the Grand Canal in Books
Aug 14, 2023 (Updated Aug 14, 2023)
Stefanie’s First Official Assignment is Murder
Stefanie Adams has her first official assignment in her new job recovering stolen art for Interpol. She and Thomas Burkhardt are trying to recover the Borgia Peacock, a pendant that was stolen over 100 years ago. Stefanie has gotten an invitation from the countess selling it, but when they show up at the countess’s palazzo in Venice, they discover they have more competition than they originally thought they would. One of their competition in a notorious fence, but then he is murdered. Will Stefanie figure out what happened and still get the pendant?
The book took a little bit of time to get going, playing tourist on the way to the mystery. But once the mystery started, the book was strong with lots of secrets and twists to keep Stefanie and Thomas from their objective. I did find their personal sub-plot a mixed bag. At times I felt for Stefanie, and at others I was frustrated by her lack of faith in Thomas. On the whole, I liked both characters, however, and it was good to spend time with them again. The rest of the cast come alive as the book progresses and we learn what they are hiding. I’ve long wanted to visit Venice, and this book made me want to visit even more. If you want a good mystery with an international flair, you’ll be glad you picked up this book.
The book took a little bit of time to get going, playing tourist on the way to the mystery. But once the mystery started, the book was strong with lots of secrets and twists to keep Stefanie and Thomas from their objective. I did find their personal sub-plot a mixed bag. At times I felt for Stefanie, and at others I was frustrated by her lack of faith in Thomas. On the whole, I liked both characters, however, and it was good to spend time with them again. The rest of the cast come alive as the book progresses and we learn what they are hiding. I’ve long wanted to visit Venice, and this book made me want to visit even more. If you want a good mystery with an international flair, you’ll be glad you picked up this book.
Merissa (12001 KP) rated Hunted (Blood Moon, Texas Shifters #5) in Books
Sep 29, 2023
HUNTED is the fifth book in the Blood Moon, Texas Shifters series and we have River and Ellie's story. I would recommend you read this in order as it does have an overall story arc that might be confusing if you don't know how it got to this stage.
River and Ellie have a history together, and it's not always a good one! River had to take Ellie's memories, even though she was his mate, leaving her with crippling anxiety. It's for this reason that Hayden refuses to speak to River and threatens him at every opportunity.
River and Ellie have moved past that - although I'm not exactly sure when. Maybe it was in the past books, but it's been a while since I read those, so I'm not sure. Their relationship did throw me a little in the beginning. Especially the 'projection' sex, when it wasn't always clear that's that what it was.
The overall story arc moves along at a fast pace, with new and old characters helping it along the way. It will be interesting to see what happens in August and Rowan's story, which is up next.
A great addition to the series but definitely recommended to read as a series.
** 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!
Sep 29, 2023
River and Ellie have a history together, and it's not always a good one! River had to take Ellie's memories, even though she was his mate, leaving her with crippling anxiety. It's for this reason that Hayden refuses to speak to River and threatens him at every opportunity.
River and Ellie have moved past that - although I'm not exactly sure when. Maybe it was in the past books, but it's been a while since I read those, so I'm not sure. Their relationship did throw me a little in the beginning. Especially the 'projection' sex, when it wasn't always clear that's that what it was.
The overall story arc moves along at a fast pace, with new and old characters helping it along the way. It will be interesting to see what happens in August and Rowan's story, which is up next.
A great addition to the series but definitely recommended to read as a series.
** 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!
Sep 29, 2023
Elli H Burton (1288 KP) rated Miss Purdys Class in Books
Jun 16, 2019 (Updated Jun 16, 2019)
Political themes meh.
Another Historical Romance which is my all time favourite thing to read. This is no exception and it ticks every box. A lovely read, gripping story and great writing.
A few downsides is that there is a relationship between Miss. Purdy and a student that seems to be more seasoned that explained in the book. This may be due to the fact that not until much later does the writing become Students point of view and therefore you don't actually know what is felt by them as the story progresses in the beginning. If and when you read it - i hope you see what I mean.
The love story isn't your typical one which is refreshing, I do always love a bit of change and this one is definitely one, it's absolutely heartbreaking though which in a critic point of view, is very well written and a good plotline.
The story has some real life issues from around that time included which was very political. As I am not politically inclined and I do most of my reading before bed, it was rather hard to keep interested when the characters went on page long rants about it. (Perhaps trying to read those parts during the day will help my poor mind keep up!!) The politics slowly takes over, but is quite essential to the story though unfortunately again for me, i found it hard to keep up.
All in all I'd say it is worth a read, although not my favourite Annie Murray book but I did thoroughly enjoy it.
A few downsides is that there is a relationship between Miss. Purdy and a student that seems to be more seasoned that explained in the book. This may be due to the fact that not until much later does the writing become Students point of view and therefore you don't actually know what is felt by them as the story progresses in the beginning. If and when you read it - i hope you see what I mean.
The love story isn't your typical one which is refreshing, I do always love a bit of change and this one is definitely one, it's absolutely heartbreaking though which in a critic point of view, is very well written and a good plotline.
The story has some real life issues from around that time included which was very political. As I am not politically inclined and I do most of my reading before bed, it was rather hard to keep interested when the characters went on page long rants about it. (Perhaps trying to read those parts during the day will help my poor mind keep up!!) The politics slowly takes over, but is quite essential to the story though unfortunately again for me, i found it hard to keep up.
All in all I'd say it is worth a read, although not my favourite Annie Murray book but I did thoroughly enjoy it.
Bookapotamus (289 KP) rated The House Swap in Books
May 29, 2018
Wow, did this book have me on the edge of my seat the ENTIRE TIME. So much tension in this book - a marriage in shambles, addictions of the physical and mental kind, suspicious neighbors, and a house full of devastating clues of an affair that had deadly consequences ... I found myself flipping pages at a rapid speed, watching these clues and secrets unfold.
Caroline and Francis swap houses in what seems to be an innocent week away to try to rekindle a very strained marriage. The narrative flips back from Caroline's past and future, with a bit of Francis injected thoughout, as well as this mysterious person they've swapped houses with. Things. Get. Weird. I felt myself having some heart palpitations at different points of the story and jumping at noises in my house as I was reading alone at night! What an awesome movie this would make.
Somehow this house is connected to her, and little snippets of a past life keep peeking through and they totally freak Caroline out and totally freaked me out as well! I cannot imagine going though such paranoia, but I also can't help but thinking Caroline made her bed, and now she has to lie in it. It's always safe to assume that when you hold on to such horrible secrets, eventually, no matter how hard you try to forget them, they'll be revealed when you least expect it - and in the most freakingly intense ways! And that just makes this book all the better.
Edge of my seat might be an understatement - I was totally entranced by this book and I enjoyed the suspense very much.
Caroline and Francis swap houses in what seems to be an innocent week away to try to rekindle a very strained marriage. The narrative flips back from Caroline's past and future, with a bit of Francis injected thoughout, as well as this mysterious person they've swapped houses with. Things. Get. Weird. I felt myself having some heart palpitations at different points of the story and jumping at noises in my house as I was reading alone at night! What an awesome movie this would make.
Somehow this house is connected to her, and little snippets of a past life keep peeking through and they totally freak Caroline out and totally freaked me out as well! I cannot imagine going though such paranoia, but I also can't help but thinking Caroline made her bed, and now she has to lie in it. It's always safe to assume that when you hold on to such horrible secrets, eventually, no matter how hard you try to forget them, they'll be revealed when you least expect it - and in the most freakingly intense ways! And that just makes this book all the better.
Edge of my seat might be an understatement - I was totally entranced by this book and I enjoyed the suspense very much.
How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big: Kind of the Story of My Life
Book
Dilbert creator Scott Adams' funny memoir about his many failures and what they eventually taught...
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2177 KP) rated The First to Lie in Books
Jan 18, 2021
Who Do You Trust When You Are Surrounded by Lies?
As this book opens, we meet two women. Nora has just taken a job as a sales rep for a Boston based pharmaceutical company. However, she is not that interested in selling the product. Instead, she is keeping her identity a secret so she can try to find some kind of dirt on the company. Meanwhile, Ellie is a reporter who has just gotten a job at a Boston news station that is about to relaunch itself. She is planning a story on the same pharmaceutical company, but she is having trouble getting sources to go on the record. But in a world where everyone is lying, who can be trusted?
This book is a twisty thriller, and the less you know going into the story the better. Once again, Hank Phillippi Ryan has concocted a story that kept me engrossed from start to finish. Along the way, we get the story from several different points of view and in two distinct timelines, but it was always easy to follow what is going on, and all that information came into play before the story was over. I liked and sympathized with most of the characters. There was one character I found very annoying. We were supposed to find her annoying, but even so, she bugged me. I did feel like the timeline was a little off in one part, and I believe there was a continuity error as well. Overall, these are minor issues as I enjoyed the book while I raced to find out what was going to happen next.
This book is a twisty thriller, and the less you know going into the story the better. Once again, Hank Phillippi Ryan has concocted a story that kept me engrossed from start to finish. Along the way, we get the story from several different points of view and in two distinct timelines, but it was always easy to follow what is going on, and all that information came into play before the story was over. I liked and sympathized with most of the characters. There was one character I found very annoying. We were supposed to find her annoying, but even so, she bugged me. I did feel like the timeline was a little off in one part, and I believe there was a continuity error as well. Overall, these are minor issues as I enjoyed the book while I raced to find out what was going to happen next.
Kate (493 KP) rated Rain City Lights in Books
Aug 28, 2020
This book took a while to get into but once I did it was really good. It was interesting to get a view into how black people were treated back in 1981 considering it wasn't that long ago. How black re forced into a dangerous profession because of their colour.
The book was supposed to be a crime book but there were so many other things going on. When thinking of the book I always remember the friendship between the 2 main characters than the murders.
As the author split the chapters between the 2 main characters so we got to hear from both of them. How different the 2 lives were considering how close they are.
I really felt sorry for 'Momti' and how she has been given the life she has. She tries to hard but it seems she is destined to go the same way all the other young women she meets throughout the story. My dislike of Sacha grew as the book went on. He was given a good life and seemed to throw it away.
I'm glad it followed the 2 characters from childhood through to adulthood as it gave me a chance to see what they become after the childhoods they lived. Just goes to show that whatever childhood you have, you have the power to chance your future and become what you want to become.
I would say this book has such a large target audience. It can be read from teenagers to people in their 40s.
I received a complimentary copy of the book from the author via Voracious Readers Only.
The book was supposed to be a crime book but there were so many other things going on. When thinking of the book I always remember the friendship between the 2 main characters than the murders.
As the author split the chapters between the 2 main characters so we got to hear from both of them. How different the 2 lives were considering how close they are.
I really felt sorry for 'Momti' and how she has been given the life she has. She tries to hard but it seems she is destined to go the same way all the other young women she meets throughout the story. My dislike of Sacha grew as the book went on. He was given a good life and seemed to throw it away.
I'm glad it followed the 2 characters from childhood through to adulthood as it gave me a chance to see what they become after the childhoods they lived. Just goes to show that whatever childhood you have, you have the power to chance your future and become what you want to become.
I would say this book has such a large target audience. It can be read from teenagers to people in their 40s.
I received a complimentary copy of the book from the author via Voracious Readers Only.
Salvaged (Releasing the Magic #2)
8.0
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What do you do when you find out you’re the thing you fear most?Seven months ago, the Void Virus...
The Most Beautiful Thing I’ve Seen: Opening Your Eyes to Wonder
8.0
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Lisa Gungor thought she knew her own story: small-town girl meets boy in college and they blissfully...
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Hellraiser: Hellworld (2005) in Movies
Apr 27, 2022
The Hellraiser franchise has certainly hit some low notes by the eight entry in the series, but you know what? Hellworld ain't one of those low notes, and this a hill I am willing to die on.
It's without a doubt, the cheesiest Hellraiser thus far, and the first one to really lean into the dumb, sex-crazed teenager horror usually associated with slashers. It kind of works. There's a bit of an identity crisis going on. It's part slasher (complete with an I Know What You Did Last Summer set up), part typical Hellraiser, part Saw (this was the mid 00s after all), part haunted house horror. Suffice to say, there's a lot going on, and the plot even manages a semi decent twist during the climax which is a rarity with these later entries. It sometimes feels a bit muddled but most importantly, it's something different at this point! 5-7 all feel VERY similar so I can respect the fresh angle Hellworld was aiming for. Throw Lance Henriksen into the mix, alongside a returning Doug Bradley (unfortunately with little screentime yet again), and some early roles from Henry Cavill, Katheryn Winnick, and Khary Payton, and you have a pretty solid cast doing their best to traverse a typical low budget horror script. When all is said and done, it ain't too shabby, and even has the courtesy to include some memorable gore, and brings back the much loved Chatterer.
Hellworld is way more entertaining than it has any right to be, and is easily the best of the Rick Bota trilogy, which isn't exactly a high bar to clear, granted. Either way, it deserves more love!
It's without a doubt, the cheesiest Hellraiser thus far, and the first one to really lean into the dumb, sex-crazed teenager horror usually associated with slashers. It kind of works. There's a bit of an identity crisis going on. It's part slasher (complete with an I Know What You Did Last Summer set up), part typical Hellraiser, part Saw (this was the mid 00s after all), part haunted house horror. Suffice to say, there's a lot going on, and the plot even manages a semi decent twist during the climax which is a rarity with these later entries. It sometimes feels a bit muddled but most importantly, it's something different at this point! 5-7 all feel VERY similar so I can respect the fresh angle Hellworld was aiming for. Throw Lance Henriksen into the mix, alongside a returning Doug Bradley (unfortunately with little screentime yet again), and some early roles from Henry Cavill, Katheryn Winnick, and Khary Payton, and you have a pretty solid cast doing their best to traverse a typical low budget horror script. When all is said and done, it ain't too shabby, and even has the courtesy to include some memorable gore, and brings back the much loved Chatterer.
Hellworld is way more entertaining than it has any right to be, and is easily the best of the Rick Bota trilogy, which isn't exactly a high bar to clear, granted. Either way, it deserves more love!