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Shelle Perry (66 KP) rated The Ghost Camper's Tall Tales (Destiny Falls Mystery & Magic #3) in Books
Aug 12, 2021
I am so excited to go back to Destiny Falls.
Destiny Falls Mystery & Magic tells the story of Hayden, a young woman who has been transported to a magical dimension to find that she has a family she never knew and a destiny she never dreamed of. While ostensibly these are cozy mysteries, the true story is Hayden’s missing mother. She left Hayden with her grandmothers not long after she was born, but as we have learned through the books of this series, that is not entirely accurate.
Here in book 3, The Ghost Camper’s Tall Tales, Hayden along with her siblings investigate information that could finally lead her to her mom. Though, it comes with the admonition not to trust anyone.
While Hayden and feline bestie Latifa investigate a new death on the island while trying to find out more about the mysterious letter from Emily, a ghost with a penchant for storytelling brings Hayden to his world. She must decide whether his stories are for fun or more historical in nature, and what do they have to do with her investigations.
As I said, it is so great to be back. The great recurring characters of Hayden’s family, the local townspeople, and of course the wonderful animals of Destiny Falls, which in itself is a magical wonderful place, pick the story up right where the last book left, without a moment’s pause in the action. Romance takes a step up and Latifa and her extended cat family prove why cats will someday rule the world. We finally get to learn secrets, but then there are always more questions than answers, so of course I can’t wait for the next installment.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
I received an advance review copy for free through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours, and I am leaving this review voluntarily
Here in book 3, The Ghost Camper’s Tall Tales, Hayden along with her siblings investigate information that could finally lead her to her mom. Though, it comes with the admonition not to trust anyone.
While Hayden and feline bestie Latifa investigate a new death on the island while trying to find out more about the mysterious letter from Emily, a ghost with a penchant for storytelling brings Hayden to his world. She must decide whether his stories are for fun or more historical in nature, and what do they have to do with her investigations.
As I said, it is so great to be back. The great recurring characters of Hayden’s family, the local townspeople, and of course the wonderful animals of Destiny Falls, which in itself is a magical wonderful place, pick the story up right where the last book left, without a moment’s pause in the action. Romance takes a step up and Latifa and her extended cat family prove why cats will someday rule the world. We finally get to learn secrets, but then there are always more questions than answers, so of course I can’t wait for the next installment.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
I received an advance review copy for free through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours, and I am leaving this review voluntarily
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post
Dec 7, 2021
Capturing the Baron’s Heart (A Wildewardian Tale)
10.0
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She was the goddess of witches and rules, but rules are made to be broken. When a reckless...
Historical Paranormal Romance
Debbiereadsbook (1110 KP) rated The Bond (The Secret Tales #1) in Books
Jun 20, 2023
absolutely LOVED the slow burn/fade to back/very little smexy times!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
Historical romance has always been a bit hit and miss for me, I tend to get annoyed with all the rules and regs of the time, but, strangely, that's what I liked about this one!
Because Rosie (to only Rhys and NO ONE else!) kind of flaunts the rules. She pushes the boundaries and smashes down the expectations for ladies of her time.
Given her secret, and how she dealt with that in the past, it's understandable she doesn't want anyone to push her into anything, certainly not a marriage to Penworth, the odious man. Rose's male parental unit (I refuse to call him her father!) is a nasty piece of work, but he does get his comeuppence!
I loved that Rose and Rhys have history, from when they were children. I loved that we get some of that history in flashbacks. It helps you paint the picture of how Rose and Rhys came to be.
And I absolutely LOVED the slow burn/fade to back/very little smexy times that this book has. Hardly surprising given Rose's past, but I loved that Rhys loved Rosie enough to WAIT for her, to come to him, when she wanted more from him.
Quite a lot of angst in this book, for Rose as well as Rhys. I liked that Rhys was able to articulate his feelings for Rose, since men of that time were not expected to be able to do that.
Given the bit at the end, I expect that one of Rose's sister's will be next and I look forward to reading it,
I wrote 4 stars at the top of the page, but I can't find a single thing wrong with it, so. .
5 full and shiny stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
Historical romance has always been a bit hit and miss for me, I tend to get annoyed with all the rules and regs of the time, but, strangely, that's what I liked about this one!
Because Rosie (to only Rhys and NO ONE else!) kind of flaunts the rules. She pushes the boundaries and smashes down the expectations for ladies of her time.
Given her secret, and how she dealt with that in the past, it's understandable she doesn't want anyone to push her into anything, certainly not a marriage to Penworth, the odious man. Rose's male parental unit (I refuse to call him her father!) is a nasty piece of work, but he does get his comeuppence!
I loved that Rose and Rhys have history, from when they were children. I loved that we get some of that history in flashbacks. It helps you paint the picture of how Rose and Rhys came to be.
And I absolutely LOVED the slow burn/fade to back/very little smexy times that this book has. Hardly surprising given Rose's past, but I loved that Rhys loved Rosie enough to WAIT for her, to come to him, when she wanted more from him.
Quite a lot of angst in this book, for Rose as well as Rhys. I liked that Rhys was able to articulate his feelings for Rose, since men of that time were not expected to be able to do that.
Given the bit at the end, I expect that one of Rose's sister's will be next and I look forward to reading it,
I wrote 4 stars at the top of the page, but I can't find a single thing wrong with it, so. .
5 full and shiny stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
Merissa (11805 KP) rated The Third Veil in Books
Jun 21, 2023
THE THIRD VEIL is a historical fantasy romance that covers some touchy subjects, just so you know. If you have any triggers, check them first.
Seven is the unloved and abused daughter of the owner of a brothel and spends her days cleaning like a maid. She finds solace in Charlie, a young farmer who is her best friend and courting her quietly. But the heroine can't be happy at the beginning, now can they, so it came as no surprise when tragedy struck. Not only that but Seven is pushed into something she is wholly unprepared for. With both friends and foes looking for her, she needs to save the world. No pressure.
I found the beginning of this story to be a little slow although I understood it was doing the groundwork and building up to the big event. Once she was through the veil, it sped up and moved along nicely. There is a lot that goes on so you will need to concentrate on all the twists and turns. One thing that made this hard for me was listening to her constant monologue about how weak she was, how she couldn't do it, how she needed Draivus, etc. etc. I kept waiting for the moment when she would gain faith in herself and step up, but it never happened. I know she's supposed to be young but it just felt a little too much in the opposite direction for me.
There were parts of the story and the world that remain unclear to me but they didn't really affect my enjoyment.
A good read that I enjoyed and recommend.
** 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!
Jun 21, 2023
Seven is the unloved and abused daughter of the owner of a brothel and spends her days cleaning like a maid. She finds solace in Charlie, a young farmer who is her best friend and courting her quietly. But the heroine can't be happy at the beginning, now can they, so it came as no surprise when tragedy struck. Not only that but Seven is pushed into something she is wholly unprepared for. With both friends and foes looking for her, she needs to save the world. No pressure.
I found the beginning of this story to be a little slow although I understood it was doing the groundwork and building up to the big event. Once she was through the veil, it sped up and moved along nicely. There is a lot that goes on so you will need to concentrate on all the twists and turns. One thing that made this hard for me was listening to her constant monologue about how weak she was, how she couldn't do it, how she needed Draivus, etc. etc. I kept waiting for the moment when she would gain faith in herself and step up, but it never happened. I know she's supposed to be young but it just felt a little too much in the opposite direction for me.
There were parts of the story and the world that remain unclear to me but they didn't really affect my enjoyment.
A good read that I enjoyed and recommend.
** 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!
Jun 21, 2023
Bob Mann (459 KP) rated Viceroy's House (2017) in Movies
Sep 29, 2021
The 80:20 Rule.
India, 1947. Churchill’s government has sent Lord Grantham – – sorry — Lord Louis Mountbatten of Burma (Hugh Bonneville, “The Monuments Men“) as the new Viceroy. His mission is to make sure he is the last ever Viceroy, for India is to be returned to independence. But racial tensions between the Hindu and minority Muslim populations are brittle and deteriorating fast. Can India survive as a single country, or will Mountbatten be forced to partition the country along religious lines to avoid civil-war and countless deaths?
Of course, there is little tension in this plot line since we know Pakistan was indeed founded by Muhammad Ali Jinnah (played by Denzil Smith) on August 14th 1947. (In reality, Jinnah’s victory was short lived as he died of TB the following year). The rest of India went on to be ruled by Jawaharlal Nehru (played by Tanveer Ghani). What the film does remind this generation of is the extreme cost of that partition, with riots, mass abductions and rapes, over a million estimated deaths and one of the biggest migrations of populations ever seen. (All of this is largely shown through original newsreel footage, which is effectively inter-weaved with the film).
So as an educational documentary it is useful. However, as an entertaining movie night out? Not so much. After coming out of the film we needed to buy some milk at Tesco and I was put on the spot by the checkout lady to sum-up the film: “Worthy but dull” was what I came up with, which with further time to reflect still seems a good summary.
This shouldn’t have been the case, since the film is directed by the well-respected Gurinder Chadha (“Bend it like Beckham) and boasts a stellar cast, with Bonneville supported by Gillian Anderson (“The X Files”) as Lady Mountbatten; Michael Gambon (“Harry Potter”) as General Ismay (Mountbatten’s chief of staff); Simon Callow (“Four Weddings and a Funeral”) as Radcliffe (the drawer of ‘the new map’); and Om Puri (“The Hundred Foot Journey“) as former political prisoner Ali Rahim Noor. Playing Mountbatten’s daughter is Lily Travers (“Kingsman: The Secret Service“): Virginia McKenna’s granddaughter.
But unfortunately, for me at least, the film lumbers from scene to scene, seldom engaging with me. Bonneville’s Mountbatten, whilst perfectly sound, was just a re-tread of Downton with added humidity and curry; Anderson’s (probably extremely accurate) crystal-glass English accent quickly becomes tiresome; and elsewhere a lot of the acting of the broader Indian cast is, I’m sorry to comment, rather sub-par. For me, only Om Puri, who sadly died in January, delivers an effective and moving performance as the blind father (literally) unable to see that the arranged marriage for his daughter Aalia (Huma Qureshi) is heading for trouble thanks to Mountbatten’s man-servant. And no, that isn’t a euphemism…. I’m talking about his real manservant, Jeet Kumar (Manish Dayal)!!
As an aside, the late Puri (probably most famous in western cinema for “East is East”) has made over 270 feature films in his prolific career, over and above his many appearances on Indian TV. And he still has another 6 films to be released! May he rest in peace.
Probably realising that the historical plot is not enough to sustain the film, the screenwriters Paul Mayeda Berges (“Bend it like Beckham”), Moira Buffini (“Tamara Drewe”) and Gurinder Chadha try to add more substance with the illicit romance between the Hindu Jeet and the Muslim Aalia. Unfortunately this is clunky at best, with an incessant 30 minutes-worth of longing looks before anything of substance happens. Even the “Lion“-style denouement (also with a railway train connection) is unconvincing.
After that, the film just tends to peter out, with a ‘real-life photograph’ segue delivering a rather tenuous connection between a character not even featured in the film and the director!
Mrs. Chadha has clearly corralled an army of extras to deliver some of the scenes in the film, in the hope of delivering a historical epic of the scale of Attenborough’s “Gandhi”. For me, she misses by a considerable margin. But that’s just my view….. if you like historical dramas, its a film you might enjoy: as the great man himself said “Honest disagreement is often a good sign of progress”.
Of course, there is little tension in this plot line since we know Pakistan was indeed founded by Muhammad Ali Jinnah (played by Denzil Smith) on August 14th 1947. (In reality, Jinnah’s victory was short lived as he died of TB the following year). The rest of India went on to be ruled by Jawaharlal Nehru (played by Tanveer Ghani). What the film does remind this generation of is the extreme cost of that partition, with riots, mass abductions and rapes, over a million estimated deaths and one of the biggest migrations of populations ever seen. (All of this is largely shown through original newsreel footage, which is effectively inter-weaved with the film).
So as an educational documentary it is useful. However, as an entertaining movie night out? Not so much. After coming out of the film we needed to buy some milk at Tesco and I was put on the spot by the checkout lady to sum-up the film: “Worthy but dull” was what I came up with, which with further time to reflect still seems a good summary.
This shouldn’t have been the case, since the film is directed by the well-respected Gurinder Chadha (“Bend it like Beckham) and boasts a stellar cast, with Bonneville supported by Gillian Anderson (“The X Files”) as Lady Mountbatten; Michael Gambon (“Harry Potter”) as General Ismay (Mountbatten’s chief of staff); Simon Callow (“Four Weddings and a Funeral”) as Radcliffe (the drawer of ‘the new map’); and Om Puri (“The Hundred Foot Journey“) as former political prisoner Ali Rahim Noor. Playing Mountbatten’s daughter is Lily Travers (“Kingsman: The Secret Service“): Virginia McKenna’s granddaughter.
But unfortunately, for me at least, the film lumbers from scene to scene, seldom engaging with me. Bonneville’s Mountbatten, whilst perfectly sound, was just a re-tread of Downton with added humidity and curry; Anderson’s (probably extremely accurate) crystal-glass English accent quickly becomes tiresome; and elsewhere a lot of the acting of the broader Indian cast is, I’m sorry to comment, rather sub-par. For me, only Om Puri, who sadly died in January, delivers an effective and moving performance as the blind father (literally) unable to see that the arranged marriage for his daughter Aalia (Huma Qureshi) is heading for trouble thanks to Mountbatten’s man-servant. And no, that isn’t a euphemism…. I’m talking about his real manservant, Jeet Kumar (Manish Dayal)!!
As an aside, the late Puri (probably most famous in western cinema for “East is East”) has made over 270 feature films in his prolific career, over and above his many appearances on Indian TV. And he still has another 6 films to be released! May he rest in peace.
Probably realising that the historical plot is not enough to sustain the film, the screenwriters Paul Mayeda Berges (“Bend it like Beckham”), Moira Buffini (“Tamara Drewe”) and Gurinder Chadha try to add more substance with the illicit romance between the Hindu Jeet and the Muslim Aalia. Unfortunately this is clunky at best, with an incessant 30 minutes-worth of longing looks before anything of substance happens. Even the “Lion“-style denouement (also with a railway train connection) is unconvincing.
After that, the film just tends to peter out, with a ‘real-life photograph’ segue delivering a rather tenuous connection between a character not even featured in the film and the director!
Mrs. Chadha has clearly corralled an army of extras to deliver some of the scenes in the film, in the hope of delivering a historical epic of the scale of Attenborough’s “Gandhi”. For me, she misses by a considerable margin. But that’s just my view….. if you like historical dramas, its a film you might enjoy: as the great man himself said “Honest disagreement is often a good sign of progress”.
Debbiereadsbook (1110 KP) rated Lonestar's Lady in Books
Dec 15, 2017
delightful historical romance
I was gifted my copy of this book, that I write a review was not required.
Gussy travels across the country to find the man she was supposed to marry a liar, and a drunken fellow. Max Lonestar offers Gussy an alternative, one that would get them both what they want. Can Gussy see past Max' history, his prison time, his heritage??
I thoroughly enjoyed this!
Gussy is a bit of a headstrong young lady, and for her time, maybe too much, but she wants what every girl of her age wants: a husband, a permanent home, children. Granted, she went across country as a mail order bride to get what she wants, so maybe not the best way, but Lonestar's alternative is better than a trip home. And let's face it, Lonestar is a much better looking man than her original intended! So she puts her heart and soul, and indeed her body, into making this work, even when Lonestar pushes her away when things get dangerous.
Pulled to Augusta like no woman has ever pulled him, he hopes and prays that this will work, that she will give him what he craves. I liked that he gave her an "out" option should they not be able to work it. I liked that he, and he alone called her Augusta.
It's quite obvious who is causing the trouble to Max and Gussy, to me at least, I just didn't think he would go THAT far! I LOVED that the town pulled together, finally, to help Gussy and Max rebuild.
Not overly explicit, it carries the right amount of steamy stuff that is proper for this book, and for the time this was set. Just enough, I thought! It does carry some prejudices but they were common at that time (some still today!)
Not a difficult read, just one of those books you can fall into and lose a couple hours, I managed to read this in one sitting. But well written, from both Gussy and Max' point of view, so you get to hear from both of them.
Thank you to Ms Camp for my copy, I thoroughly enjoyed it!
4 solid stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Gussy travels across the country to find the man she was supposed to marry a liar, and a drunken fellow. Max Lonestar offers Gussy an alternative, one that would get them both what they want. Can Gussy see past Max' history, his prison time, his heritage??
I thoroughly enjoyed this!
Gussy is a bit of a headstrong young lady, and for her time, maybe too much, but she wants what every girl of her age wants: a husband, a permanent home, children. Granted, she went across country as a mail order bride to get what she wants, so maybe not the best way, but Lonestar's alternative is better than a trip home. And let's face it, Lonestar is a much better looking man than her original intended! So she puts her heart and soul, and indeed her body, into making this work, even when Lonestar pushes her away when things get dangerous.
Pulled to Augusta like no woman has ever pulled him, he hopes and prays that this will work, that she will give him what he craves. I liked that he gave her an "out" option should they not be able to work it. I liked that he, and he alone called her Augusta.
It's quite obvious who is causing the trouble to Max and Gussy, to me at least, I just didn't think he would go THAT far! I LOVED that the town pulled together, finally, to help Gussy and Max rebuild.
Not overly explicit, it carries the right amount of steamy stuff that is proper for this book, and for the time this was set. Just enough, I thought! It does carry some prejudices but they were common at that time (some still today!)
Not a difficult read, just one of those books you can fall into and lose a couple hours, I managed to read this in one sitting. But well written, from both Gussy and Max' point of view, so you get to hear from both of them.
Thank you to Ms Camp for my copy, I thoroughly enjoyed it!
4 solid stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Uptown Oracle (24 KP) rated The House of Mountfathom in Books
Jun 30, 2017
Family, Adventure and Magic
Family, adventure and magic. A perfect combination for this middle grade book. The House of Mountfathom is set in Ireland during times of unrest. The Driochta, always peacekeepers, must choose a side to survive.
My favourite aspect was how alive the house felt as it was so full of magic. The House of Mountfathom seemed like another member of the family almost like it had a mind of it's own. There was so much time given to explaining the house, magic and family though, that it reduced the actual plot to the second half of the book.
The House of Mountfathom has a strong focus on family. The Mountfathom family are the protagonists of the book. The Order of Driochta are another kind of family. There's no romance subplot which was a big plus point for me.
Another thing was that the house was in Ireland. I cant think off the top of my head another book I've read based in Ireland. The introduction of both historical aspects and folklore was great. There's also a distinct discussion about class systems. The 'big houses' aka the upper class in Ireland are in trouble, including the Mountfathom house, even though they're trying to keep the peace.
A problem I had was the format seemed odd, I assume it would be best in a printed book. My kindle seemed to push everything together and it was difficult to discern between chapters. The illustrations would have also worked much better within a book. Since this was an e-ARC though, I wouldn't take that into account.
Another problem is the book doesn't seem quite finished. Understandable as Nigel McDowell passed away in February. Although the ambiguous ending does give something towards the mysterious aspect of the book as a whole.
I really enjoyed how McDowell described the hows of magic. The first part of the book follows Luke as he grows up and learns magic. The five principles are distinct in how Luke learns them. I would compare The House of Mountfathom to Lemony Snicket and Neil Gaiman's Coraline. It was a bit dark and creepy in places. Full of intrigue and magic.
My favourite aspect was how alive the house felt as it was so full of magic. The House of Mountfathom seemed like another member of the family almost like it had a mind of it's own. There was so much time given to explaining the house, magic and family though, that it reduced the actual plot to the second half of the book.
The House of Mountfathom has a strong focus on family. The Mountfathom family are the protagonists of the book. The Order of Driochta are another kind of family. There's no romance subplot which was a big plus point for me.
Another thing was that the house was in Ireland. I cant think off the top of my head another book I've read based in Ireland. The introduction of both historical aspects and folklore was great. There's also a distinct discussion about class systems. The 'big houses' aka the upper class in Ireland are in trouble, including the Mountfathom house, even though they're trying to keep the peace.
A problem I had was the format seemed odd, I assume it would be best in a printed book. My kindle seemed to push everything together and it was difficult to discern between chapters. The illustrations would have also worked much better within a book. Since this was an e-ARC though, I wouldn't take that into account.
Another problem is the book doesn't seem quite finished. Understandable as Nigel McDowell passed away in February. Although the ambiguous ending does give something towards the mysterious aspect of the book as a whole.
I really enjoyed how McDowell described the hows of magic. The first part of the book follows Luke as he grows up and learns magic. The five principles are distinct in how Luke learns them. I would compare The House of Mountfathom to Lemony Snicket and Neil Gaiman's Coraline. It was a bit dark and creepy in places. Full of intrigue and magic.
Phantom: The Complete Newspaper Dailies and Sundays by Lee Falk and Wilson Mccoy Volume Ten 1950: Volume Ten: The Complete Newspaper Dailies and Sundays by Lee Falk and Wilson McCoy 1950
Lee Falk and Wilson McCoy
Book
THE PHANTOM the Complete Newspaper Dailies and Sundays by Lee Falk and Wilson McCoy: Volume Ten...
Epic and Romance: Essays on Medieval Literature
Book
Excerpt: ...the effect of the romantic interludes in Gisli, which is perhaps the most tragic of all...