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Truth Seekers - Season 1
Truth Seekers - Season 1
2020 | Comedy
Enjoyably British
Truth Seekers is the latest collaboration from Nick Frost and Simon Pegg, and centres around employees of a network services provider who run a YouTube channel as amateur paranormal investigators.

The series follows Gus Roberts (Nick Frost), the top installation engineer for network provider Smyle. He lives with his dad (Malcolm McDowell) and investigates paranormal activities in his spare time, running his own YouTube channel as ‘The Truth Seeker’. His boss Dave (Simon Pegg) pairs Gus with a new employee Elton John (Samson Kayo), and Truth Seekers follows the pair as they increasingly encounter paranormal and mysterious entities as they go about their daily work, including a haunted young woman called Astrid (Emma D’Arcy).

Truth Seekers starts off as a case by episode series, with a new spooky encounter every time (think Supernatural but very British) and then mid-way works into a bigger overall plot involving Julian Barratt’s Dr Peter Toynbee that seems to tie all the earlier elements together. As a supernatural horror show, this works really well. It doesn’t rely on typical jump scares, and instead uses well known horror situations to be as creepy as possible. Admittedly this is a tad cliched – think of all the known supernatural experiences you’d expect to see (psychiatric hospitals, hotels, demons and satanic books to name a few) and you’ll definitely find them here. However this doesn’t matter as they’re done well and in such a smart, creepy and very British way. Even the special effects are impressive for something that looks like it should be fairly low budget.

Whilst this is made out to be a horror comedy, it’s the comedy side that appears to be a little lacking. Don’t get me wrong, this has its’s funny and witty moments and seems to relish all of the pop culture references it throws in at every opportunity, however it doesn’t seem quite as edgy and quick witted as Frost and Pegg’s previous collaborations. Frost delivers his usual deadpan style well and is ably supported by Samson Kayo’s Elton as his rather adorable and unwitting partner. The standout though is unsurprisingly Malcolm McDowell as Gus’ dad Richard. Right from the first episode McDowell shines and is an absolute riot. Every scene he’s in gives rise to so many laughs and in particular there’s one scene featuring him going upstairs on a stair lift so slowly that nearly had me crying with laughter. But despite this the humour is maybe a little lacking from what we’d expect. I also felt like some of the pop culture references were a little forced and unnatural, which is a shame as there were also a lot that worked quite well – nods to Aliens and The Shawshank Redemption were particularly appreciated.

Truth Seekers may be lacking a little in humour, but what is there is adeptly delivered by a rather stellar cast. Pegg takes a backseat as boss Dave with an atrocious hairpiece and there are some small roles for Kelly MacDonald, Susie Wokoma and Julian Barratt, but everyone puts in a great performance no matter the screen time. McDowell undoubtedly steals the show, but the main trio of Frost, Kayo and D’Arcy carry the show well between them.

What surprised me the most about Truth Seekers is how short it was. A mere eight episodes running at 30 minutes each doesn’t seem like enough – by the end of the eighth episode I was shocked to see there wasn’t any more, although the final scenes do at least set this up for a second series that will hopefully come to fruition. I was a little concerned about the main plot involving Toynbee as it did get a little convoluted towards the end, and the final scenes do nothing but add to this and hint at a much bigger story going on. This could end up being rather good, but it could also turn what is by and large a very enjoyable British supernatural series into something rather crazy and confused. Only series two will tell.
  
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Merissa (12827 KP) created a post

Mar 15, 2021  
Shifter Affairs Box Set: Shifter Agents Books 1–4 by Nancy Corrigan is $0.99 for a limited time.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08RWVGZZZ

 #Shifters
 #Paranormal
 #Romance
 #SALE

Freeing his Mate
Never lead a widowed shifter cop to his true mate then tell him he can't have her.

Mya
One night, I was stolen from my human life and thrust into the shifter world. With no rights among these primal males, I'm expected to submit to their will. But I only want Rick—the rugged, tattooed cop who can touch my soul and tame my wolf and... free me.
One thing stands in our way—the beast who kidnapped me would rather kill me than let me go.

Rick
A century ago, I lost my family. While on the hunt for a killer, I found my future. Mya's my true mate. She's my gift from the gods...the one woman I'm supposed to love and treasure forever.
And the rogue wolf shifter who took her from me will die.
Even if I have to break the law I've sworn to uphold to steal her back. Nothing keeps a shifter from his one true mate.

Claimed by the Assassin
A shy waitress and an ancient, shapeshifting assassin with a bounty on his head… A match made in heaven?

Sara
It was supposed to be a simple favor. Instead of helping out the sexy, aloof bouncer at my bar, I’ve narrowly escaped death at the hands of a murdering shifter and inadvertently rescued Ilan’s nephew in the process. The things a woman has to do to get a guy’s attention these days…

Ilan
For years, I kept my innocent human true mate safe from me and the dangerous world I live in. Then on the night I planned to skip town, Sara lands in the middle of a botched assassination attempt. Now, I can’t let her go. She’s a target. So is my infant nephew. And the killers who came after my family should be afraid.
Very afraid.
I’m not called an Angel of Death for nothing.

Baiting the Royal
A murder case where the stakes are personal…in more ways than one.

Lyla
As a coroner, I give a voice to the voiceless. But the latest body on my slab raises questions someone doesn’t want me to answer. With my sister’s attacker back in town, I need to uncover the truth. Any way I can get it. Even if that means partnering up with Uri, a Royal feline shifter from the Alexander pride and a by-the-book cop who’d rather keep me safe in my lab…or his bedroom.

Uri
Rules are made for a reason. But nothing in the official Shifter Affairs handbook covers what to do when you’re forced to partner up with your true mate. Especially when Lyla has a penchant for fighting for the underdog and finding herself in dangerous situations. But with a serial killer on the loose and the body count rising and hitting closer to home, only one rule matters.
Nobody threatens a shifter’s mate and lives.

Possessed
He thinks we’re destined to be together. I think he’s crazy... Or maybe that's me.

Zoe

I’m called the “beloved human” of Kade, the alluring leader of the Royal Alexander pride. Its members consider me his possession. I avoid thinking too hard about what that means by teasing him mercilessly. Besides, I have other worries. My nightmares are back, stronger than ever, and they’re starting to bleed into the real world. To make them stop, I have to discover the truth behind the attack that cost me my baby and my fiancé. Their deaths demand justice. And I want revenge.

Kade
Ever since I healed Zoe, she’s been my responsibility in the group to handle—and to control. I never asked to claim her, and I didn’t want to. Until now. She’s the one. My mate. And the timing couldn’t be worse. Other shifters are making bets on how soon I’ll lose my title, and fears over a prophesy have made our group a target. But I’ll do anything to protect Zoe, to ensure our pride is a safe place for the future we could have together. All that’s left is to convince her—and to prevent my enemies from claiming what’s mine.
     
Mother May I
Mother May I
Joshilyn Jackson | 2021 | Contemporary, Thriller
10
9.3 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
After loving Joshilyn Jackson's novel Never Have I Ever, I definitely knew I wanted to read Mother May I by Joshilyn Jackson. Jackson is a brilliant writer, and I was drawn in by the synopsis of this story. I was not disappointed at all!

Bree has everything and wants for nothing. She has three fantastic children, a loving husband, and plenty of money. She starts seeing an old woman that looks like a witch looking through her bedroom window and then again at her daughters' school. When her infant son keeps kidnapped from her daughters' school, it sets something sinister in motion. If Bree wants to see her son alive again, she has to agree to do some pretty messed up things. However, as Bree gets sucked in further and further, she learns some pretty crazy things about those she thought she knew.

First off, the world building for Mother May I was done so fantastically! It was so easy to get sucked into this book. I could easily imagine every little thing that happened throughout Mother May I as I was reading. The pacing was perfect. I found myself never wanting to put this book down. Not once did it ever slow down to become boring or speed up that I got lost. I wanted to make sure baby Robert was safe, and I was also frantic when he went missing and Bree was doing all she could to get him back. I didn't feel like there were any major plot twists. There are a few minor ones though. There is no cliff hanger ending, and all loose ends are tied up by the end of the book. I did enjoy how the book ended though. Mother May I definitely shows was having wealth and privilege can do for you even when you do something bad, so kudos to this book for bringing it to the forefront.

I felt that all the characters in Mother May I were well rounded and developed. It was easy to relate to Bree throughout the book. As a mother myself, I felt her fear and worry at her son being kidnapped. (That's one of my worst nightmares!) I never once blamed her for what she did to make sure her son would be safe and so she could get him back. I'm pretty sure I would do the same as she did. I loved that she came from humble beginnings as well. I loved her backstory. Marshall was such a stand up guy to help out Bree. It was obvious how much he cared for Bree. I admit that I was wary of him throughout the book. I kept waiting for him to somehow be involved in Robert's disappearance. Trey seemed like a stand up guy with how he treated Bree and how much he loved her although Trey was another one I was wary of. I also kept thinking he had something to do with Robert's disappearance. Coral was another one that I could kind of understand her hurt for what happened to her daughter. While I don't agree at all with what she did as an act of revenge (not a spoiler), I knew her heart was hurting for her daughter and what she went through. Coral was a fantastic antagonist though.

Trigger warnings for Mother May I include rape, sexual situations, drug use, drinking, murder, suicide, death, child murder, swearing, and kidnapping.

With such wonderful characters and fantastic world building, Mother May I is a book deserving of such high praise. It goes to show how unfair the world is and how money talks in a well done story. I would definitely recommend Mother May I by Joshilyn Jackson to those aged 18+ who are after a book with a fantastic storyline and a great cast of characters.
--
(A special thank you to William Morrow for providing me with a paperback ARC of Mother May I by Joshilyn Jackson. I was under no obligation to write a review.)
  
Venom (2018)
Venom (2018)
2018 | Action, Sci-Fi
I went into the screen with wildly low expectations for Venom, nothing in the trailer had me on the edge of my seat. In the run up to me going there were more and more reviews appearing saying that it was bad, not that I read any of them. So many people just felt the need to put it right in the title... yes, yes, but much more obvious than mine!!

But you know what? It wasn't bad. That's not to say it was good, but it wasn't bad. I didn't laugh anywhere near as much as everyone else did, but it did have some funny bits in it. I'm sorry though, "blowing like a turd in the wind"? Not funny. Wasn't funny in the trailer, not funny in the film.

Full disclosure, I've booked to see this again. Not because I enjoyed it so much but because the people who were watching it in the screen with me were the noisiest people on the planet.

I understand that they couldn't accurately do Venom's origin story as it invilves Spider-man but I'm not sure how I felt about this version of events. Also, if a super nerd out there could help me out... I thought that Venom was the name for the combined host and symbiote, but in the film the symbiote is called Venom... which way is correct?

There are some great bits between Eddie and Venom. Venom obviously thinks Eddie is a bit of a wimp and doesn't mind pointing it out. He's embarrassed by him putting his hands up in surrender and by him being unwilling to jump out of an upper floor window. Both bring amusing exchanges.

When we see the duo fighting and evading the tac team in the early part of the film all I could think was how reminiscent of Upgrade it was when he was being controlled by Venom. I also got flashes of other Marvel offerings, specifically Hulk. Venom tossing people around by their feet, then witnessing him fight Riot gave me flashbacks of Hulk and The Abomination. The latter was a lot easier to watch than the fight between this new pair though. It was way too chaotic, and almost impossible to figure out exactly what was happening.

In general I'm not a fan of the CGI symbiotes, they look a lot more cartoony and feel slightly unfinished, like there's a layer missing to make them more realistic. I also wasn't overly keen on much of the acting, I found Tom Hardy to be lacking and didn't find Eddie Brock to be very dynamic for an investigative journalist.

The first of the credit scenes lines us up with a potential sequel with a quick appearence by Woody Harrelson as Cletus Kasady who historically was the original host for Carnage. Harrelson has grown on me immensely in recent years with his acting and it would be a shame not to see him given this serial killers' role in the Universe... but with a film that feels like it fits more in the Maguire era of Spider-man movies I personally can't see a sequel from Venom doing him justice.

The second credit scene felt a little like a cheat to me as it wasn't anything to do with the film. It was entertaining despite that though. A little lighthearted humour but it felt completely out of place, it was much more like a short you would watch before the main event. Perhaps it would have been better as a "feature length" trailer than a credit scene.

What should you do?

You should probably see it. In my opinion it doesn't compare to any of the other "super" movies, and he isn't going to become my favourite anti-hero, but it is a reasonable diversion and the humour that's there isn't that bad.

Movie thing you wish you could take home

If I could have a symbiote that won't kill be and wouldn't look so crazy then I think I'd probably see where it took me.
  
    Volume Sanity

    Volume Sanity

    Utilities and Entertainment

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    One big slider bar to control the system volume limit. Easy. Do you have a child who always plays...

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    SampleWiz was awarded Music Making App of the Year for 2011 by the Music Industries Association! ...

Just My Luck
Just My Luck
Adele Parks | 2020 | Romance, Thriller
8
7.0 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
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<b><i>What would you do if you win the lottery?</i></b>

What happens when a person suddenly has a chance to be rich? Just My Luck by Adele Parks is a brutal book about bad luck, betrayals, friendships and most importantly – how life can change in just one moment.

For fifteen years, Lexi and Jake have played the same six numbers with their friends. Over dinners, they have discussed many important things over the years: kids, marriages, houses and jobs… But one Saturday night, there is an argument in the group. Someone is lying. And then, six numbers come up on the lottery that are about to change everything.

Lexi and Jake have the winning ticket for almost £18 million. And their friends want their share in it…

<b><i>My Thoughts:</i></b>

I dived into this book completely unprepared. I only knew that someone wins the lottery, but I wasn’t too familiar with the synopsis. And trust me – it was better for me to explore it all throughout the book.

We follow the story mostly focused on Lexi’s point of view, however, we also get a glimpse of other people’s stories as well, which I think for me was refreshing and kept the pace moving in a nice manner.

Not only do we meet different characters in this book, but we also meet different personalities, with different motivations, dreams and life goals. When Lexi and Jake realised they have won the lottery, they both behave in a very different way.

Lexi is the one that wants to keep things as normal as they are, plan for their future, have small luxuries and then keep the rest of the money mostly as savings, and donate some of it to charity and try to help other people.

Jake, on the other side, wants to enjoy the money they won, and spend it on a new house, new car, be part of the upper class and hire driver services for his children, when they move to a private school.

The relationship between Lexi and Jake will begin to change, as they both will change during this period. This book is a perfect summary of what money may actually do to people and relationships, and how it may help them or destroy them completely.

I loved the drama where the friends were involved as well, also when the children played their part as well into the whole situation. It is crazy to see how easily children can be manipulated by words and wealth too, in their own little worlds.

I really wished I have seen more of Toma’s story and point of view, and had a proper closure to his chapter. His story was definitely my favorite one for sure!

<b><i>If you are a fan of thrillers and drama, you will definitely enjoy this book. It will keep you on the edge until the very last chapter. And that last chapter will change everything! Let me know once you’ve read it, because I am dying to talk to someone about that last revelation!</i></b>

I am extremely lucky to be part of the blog tour organised by the amazing team at HQ! Thank you for this opportunity, and thank you for sending me this book in exchange for my review! Check out the other amazing participants of this blog tour as well:

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