Search

Search only in certain items:

Pure
Pure
2017 | Drama
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
TV Show Rating
Conflict of Conscience & Crisis of Faith
Pure is a crime/drama series created by Michael Amo and directed by Ken Girotti. It is produced by Two East Production and Cineflix and airs on the WGN network. The show stars Ryan Robbins, A.J. Buckley, Peter Outerbridge, and Rosie Perez.


Noah Funk (Ryan Robbins) is a newly-elected Mennonite pastor, who is tired of drug traffickers in his community and is determined to get rid of them. He finds that things are not that simple when after planting drugs in the home of the ring leader, he is forced to become the head of the Mennonite drug trafficking operations, endangering his community, his family and himself.


This show has constantly surprised me with its ups and downs and twists. I'm usually not into these kind of shows but it just really has me hooked especially with this new season. I feel so much for the main character Noah because he is a good person and almost all the people in their community are good people too. And how his actions come to plague him and weigh on him are dreadful. He does everything to protect his family and still they get dragged into things. His wife Ana Funk is also quite a great character and his brother Abel, a recovering drug addict comes into play greatly too. The dialogue isn't always the greatest and sometimes the acting isn't so good from supporting characters but there isn't a show quite like this. I like seeing the character fall from grace and struggle with his conscience and doing the right thing when he's the only one trying to fight the corruption in his community. It really is a great show, I give it an 8 out of 10.
  
Missing Piece (Neon Scars #2)
Missing Piece (Neon Scars #2)
Gale Ian Tate | 2025 | LGBTQ+, Paranormal, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
MISSING PIECE is the second book in the Neon Scars series, and the story actually begins before book one, before running on an almost parallel timeline. Adam is a recovering addict, celebrating 30 days sober when we first meet him. Vincent is an old vampire, although not as old as Marcus, who takes Adam after Adam sees too much. Originally, he takes him as a 'trial' (which is explained in the story), but Adam is so much more, and Vincent doesn't know what to do with him!

I thoroughly enjoyed the first book and was looking forward to this one. I was NOT disappointed. Both Adam and Vincent are complex characters, with plenty of baggage to carry. I loved finding out more about Petrov, Luka, and Matteo, and hope to see more of them in the future.

I would say this is a slow-to-medium-paced story, but it does have both action and down times to catch your breath, as well as s3xy times for Adam and Vincent. Theirs is a complicated relationship, to say the least, especially as Vincent is still bothered about how he is perceived by the other vampires. And although Adam is slightly broken, he still knows where to draw his line in the sand. I loved that!

All in all, I would say read book one to get the full experience, although you don't necessarily have to. I enjoyed every word and look forward to reading more, both in this series and by this author. Definitely 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; the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Sep 5, 2025
  
John Phillips (John the Wolfking of L.A.) by John Phillips
John Phillips (John the Wolfking of L.A.) by John Phillips
1970 | Folk, Rock, Singer-Songwriter
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"So the The Wolf King Of L.A. and There's A Riot Goin' On were both recorded in the same studio. John Phillips bought Jeanette McDonald, a Hollywood actress, a mansion in Bel Air. And he illegally built a studio in the attic, which was huge. I guess there were building restrictions, but he just wanted to build a recording studio in there. He recorded the album in that place. Now coming on to the transcendent, joyous, pop glory of The Mamas & The Papas, The Wolf King Of L.A. is a very strange album. I think John was hanging out with Gram Parsons and as a result, the record is a country-soul-pop album. In The Mamas & The Papas, he was writing for a pop audience and I guess that was a message to Michelle Phillips because they're both adulterers, I think. John would write a song and get Denny Doherty to sing it because he knew he was having an affair with his wife. John was quite a dark guy! They were very personal songs, but also universal because he was writing for a pop audience. But with Wolf King, he went solo. Phillips became deeply addicted to heroin, coke and everything else. He was a very advanced drug addict. Wolf King Of L.A. is a very soulful album. John wrote and arranged the songs for The Mamas & The Papas but his voice was hidden in the mix as Denny and Michelle had incredible voices. But on this album, it's just his voice. And I believe that the session musicians were Phil Spector's Wrecking Crew and are the same guys who played on The Mamas & The Papas records. They loved John Phillips and thought he was a fucking great guy. It's one of those records I haven't stopped playing for 30 years and a great document of rock and LA culture in the late '60s. It's also got a great cover with John wearing a top hat standing on Malibu beach with the sun setting looking absolutely wasted."

Source