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Changes (The Dresden Files, #12)
Changes (The Dresden Files, #12)
10
9.6 (8 Ratings)
Book Rating
I do not give out many 5-star ratings, but for this book I couldn't do anything else. That is despite the fact that [a:Jim Butcher|10746|Jim Butcher|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1400640324p2/10746.jpg] did something I honestly didn't think he would do to his legions of loyal readers, something that I absolutely detest. Something that I will not tell you about, because I loathe spoilers.

If you know anything about me, though, it means a great deal to say that even though I would drop most authors who use that particular technique like not just hot, but rotten hot potatoes, I cannot even consider not getting the next Dresden Files book and devouring it the very first millisecond I am able to do so.

My family can attest to the fact that I didn't just laugh out loud while reading <i>Changes</i>. (Anybody who doesn't laugh out loud at least once while reading the Dresden Files should be checked for rigor mortis.) This time I laughed so loud and so long at one point that Sam got up and came into the room where I was to make sure that I was okay and getting enough air. There was absolutely no way for me to explain what was so funny, of course, without spoilers.

While there is a great deal of humor, there is also darkness. A lot of darkness. The blurb for the book makes that clear. Susan, the love of Harry's life, kidnapped years ago by a Red Court vampire and half-turned in a plot to get at Dresden, is back with big, bad news: she had a daughter by him, and the child has been kidnapped by someone. As usual, things go downhill from there.

Many series start out with a bang, have maybe two or three strong volumes, then devolve into more and more and more contract fulfillment books that I occasionally think might be written by clever shell scripts. The Dresden Files is one of the few, beautiful exceptions, as volume twelve proves. I honestly thought that Butcher was winding things up to move on to other projects, due to some of the events in the book, but I will say that he surprised the bejesus out of me. This is definitely not a series-ending book!

I anxiously await number thirteen. I might even do something I've never done before, and pre-order it. Yes, Jim, you've got me hooked, and how.
  
Sugar: My Life as a Sugar Babe
Sugar: My Life as a Sugar Babe
Monique X | 2018 | Erotica, Romance
10
5.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
A fun, fast and interesting read. (2 more)
Fascinating to read about Monique's travels to different countries.
Intense and emotional
Nothing. (0 more)
Very Steamy!
Sugar was beckoning at me to be read, initially by the eye-catching and attractive cover and that it looked like it would be a very steamy read, as indeed it was. I was definitely not disappointed! I was smitten from the very first, right until the last page.

Monique is a loving single mother, who is trying to create a happy home for her two daughters and she's also a Sugar Babe, dating wealthy men, a practice known as Sugar Daddy dating. She mostly meets her Sugar Daddies during the day, when the children are at school or when they are with their father. Monique finds a thousand pounds in her purse after one night of passionate and very hot sex, and she realises that Sugar Daddy dating could be her way to survive as a single mother.

A heady life of wealthy men, luxury hotels and glamorous experiences ensue. One of my favourites was Iranian engineer Farshad, who liked to lavish Monique with gifts such as expensive jewellery and leather boots and wine and dine her in exotic restaurants.

Dates with Sugar Daddies see her flying to Paris, Barcelona, Vienna, Milan, Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong and skydiving in Dubai. Thanks to her Sugar Daddies, Monique can provide for her children, she has some independence, and experiences a whole new range of sexual fantasies.
 
She deactivates her account with her agency, Seeking Arrangement, and her ex-husband stops paying for the children's' upkeep. She is then prepared to do anything for the sake of her children. Money becomes her top priority and she starts living in the dangerous waters of the escort world. Now she realises that she must find a way out before this hollow existence becomes a habit.
  
I absolutely loved reading Sugar. Maybe it was the novelty of reading a book told as memoirs and based on true events. It was fascinating to read about Monique's travels to different countries and about the different nationalities, cultures and personalities of the gentlemen she dated. However, she ends up working as an escort rather than a Sugar Babe, as it's all about basic survival instincts, money and very spicy sex.
 
Sugar is steamy and hot, passionate and caring, intense and emotional and there are definitely moments where you will laugh. It is such a fun, fast and interesting read.

Monique X is a brilliant storyteller and really draws you in with her descriptiveness.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thistle Publishing for my ARC.
  
    LEGO® City game

    LEGO® City game

    Games and Entertainment

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    BE A CREATIVE LEGO® CITY HERO! The LEGO® City app is a creative mission-based game for brave,...

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    Rap Studio Battle Me

    Music and Entertainment

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    Battle Me is #1 app for Hip Hop fans and rappers. Let fans hear your tracks and rap battles on...

    Worms Crazy Golf HD

    Worms Crazy Golf HD

    Games and Entertainment

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    4/4 - “Must Have” - “Terrific fun that mixes classic Worms game play with golf, resulting in a...

    Vapiano (NEW)

    Vapiano (NEW)

    Food & Drink and Lifestyle

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Injustice 2
Injustice 2
2017 | Fighting
Large Roster (4 more)
Simple but Deep Mechanics
Worthwhile and Well-written Campaign
Loot in a Fighting Game!
Harley Quinn Kicks Ass
Loot Acquisition Could Have Been Better Implemented (0 more)
Superhero Brawling at its Finest
As a fighting game, Injustice 2 is near perfect. As a DC superhero story, it's better than most movies. The fighting mechanics are sharp and simple, while still offering plenty of depth and nuance for dedicated fighting fans. Most of the character design is great (you may have heard about or seen the new "Hot Topic Joker"), and all serves to fit the alternate Injustice universe. The only real gripe I have with the game is that loot acquisition is randomly decided through loot boxes called Mother Boxes. These boxes drop through completing single-player missions in the Multiverse, but it could have been a lot more fun if loot dropped from defeated enemies like most other loot-based single player experiences. It's a minor complaint, I admit, but something that throws off the experience for me. In the end, Injustice 2 is a fantastic game that fights to be innovative in a crowded fighting game market. It largely succeeds, and due to the Multiverse and the loot you'll never run out of things to do.