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Blood Slave (The Nightlife)
8.0
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Her mother named her Esperanza Salvación - Hope for Salvation. But when a girl works as an escort...
Paranormal Erotica Vampires
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Gate of Shadows ( Cambridge Gothic 2) in Books
Jul 6, 2024
130 of 220
Kindle
Gate of Shadows ( Cambridge Gothic 2)
By Mark Wells
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A mystic portal lies open. A chilling predator stalks the night. Can an undaunted student stop the darkness from spreading?
Giles Chamberlain returns to a snowbound Cambridge after Christmas spent with his girlfriend. Determined to prove himself to her family, he sets out to discover what became of her missing brother. But when he encounters a sinister figure prowling the college’s rooftops, he suspects last semester’s creature was not the only entity to cross into our world.
After the tight-lipped Professor Gupta refuses his plea for help, Giles enlists his feuding friends to locate the otherworldly passage. As hunters and hunted converge on the portal, the students discover just how far the old academic will go to keep his secret safe.
Faced with forces beyond his imagination, can Giles conjure up the key to save them all?
Second book in the series and I really enjoyed it. Catching up with what’s happened to Alphonso as well as everything back at Cambridge. This is a really interesting read.
Kindle
Gate of Shadows ( Cambridge Gothic 2)
By Mark Wells
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A mystic portal lies open. A chilling predator stalks the night. Can an undaunted student stop the darkness from spreading?
Giles Chamberlain returns to a snowbound Cambridge after Christmas spent with his girlfriend. Determined to prove himself to her family, he sets out to discover what became of her missing brother. But when he encounters a sinister figure prowling the college’s rooftops, he suspects last semester’s creature was not the only entity to cross into our world.
After the tight-lipped Professor Gupta refuses his plea for help, Giles enlists his feuding friends to locate the otherworldly passage. As hunters and hunted converge on the portal, the students discover just how far the old academic will go to keep his secret safe.
Faced with forces beyond his imagination, can Giles conjure up the key to save them all?
Second book in the series and I really enjoyed it. Catching up with what’s happened to Alphonso as well as everything back at Cambridge. This is a really interesting read.
Sophia von X
Book
"Sophia von X” is a 2020 Readers' Favorite Silver Medal Winner in the Fiction - Religious Theme...
Let's Kidnap Me
Book
Sex, Lies, and the perfect get-rich scheme... Meet CLAIRE. Your average broke mid-twenty...
suspense thriller
Killer Kung Pao
9.0
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Is life at the Ho-Lee Noodle House becoming too hot to handle? Lana Lee’s plate is already...
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated The House at the End of Lacelean Street in Books
Mar 26, 2024
58 of 220
Book siren arc
The House at the End of Lacelean Street
By Catherine McCarthy
⭐️⭐️⭐️
It's midnight and in the midst of an ice storm when Claudia Dance boards the bright yellow bus to Lacelean Street, a destination she has never heard of. She has no coat, no luggage, and no clue as to why she left home. In fact, she has no memory of her past whatsoever, and yet she feels compelled to make the trip. She will come to realize that salvation lies within the red-brick house at the end of Lacelean Street, a salvation granted by the strange power that dwells within. Sanity will be questioned, limits tested, and answers revealed… But at what price?
This was different and certainly interesting. 3 people get on a bus with only one destination Lacelean street to a strange house with no other people. During their stay they learn things about themselves and each other. I liked it but didn’t love it. It was a decent read and I would recommend anyone to give it a go.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Book siren arc
The House at the End of Lacelean Street
By Catherine McCarthy
⭐️⭐️⭐️
It's midnight and in the midst of an ice storm when Claudia Dance boards the bright yellow bus to Lacelean Street, a destination she has never heard of. She has no coat, no luggage, and no clue as to why she left home. In fact, she has no memory of her past whatsoever, and yet she feels compelled to make the trip. She will come to realize that salvation lies within the red-brick house at the end of Lacelean Street, a salvation granted by the strange power that dwells within. Sanity will be questioned, limits tested, and answers revealed… But at what price?
This was different and certainly interesting. 3 people get on a bus with only one destination Lacelean street to a strange house with no other people. During their stay they learn things about themselves and each other. I liked it but didn’t love it. It was a decent read and I would recommend anyone to give it a go.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Cynthia Armistead (17 KP) rated Spider's Bite (Elemental Assassin, #1) in Books
Mar 1, 2018
I enjoyed this book, and plan to go on to the next book in the series, [b:Web of Lies|6933152|Web of Lies (Elemental Assassin, #2)|Jennifer Estep|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1262902266s/6933152.jpg|7164540]. I'm hoping that [a:Jennifer Estep|580315|Jennifer Estep|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1264385515p2/580315.jpg] grows as an author, though, as the foreshadowing regarding the real "big bad" as well as the revelation of a fact important to the main character were both rather clumsily done, in my opinion.
I'm aware of another series by Estep, <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/series/44008-bigtime">Bigtime</a>;. I was thinking of reading it, but it was written earlier than the <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/series/47271-elemental-assassin">Elemental Assassin</a> series, and now I'm not so sure about whether I want to read it or not. Estep's characters are interesting, but I'm not sure that they're interesting enough to hold me through writing that's less polished than [b:Spider's Bite|6611038|Spider's Bite (Elemental Assassin, #1)|Jennifer Estep|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1254292883s/6611038.jpg|6805023]. Then again, I've certainly read worse. I suppose it all depends on what I happen to have in hand at any given time. I'd be more likely to read it if there were short stories available similar to the ones on Estep's web site that drew me in to this series.
I didn't do reviews for those, but there are three stories that occur chronologically before [b:Spider's Bite|6611038|Spider's Bite (Elemental Assassin, #1)|Jennifer Estep|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1254292883s/6611038.jpg|6805023]: [b:Poison|10869243|Poison (Elemental Assassin #0.5)|Jennifer Estep|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg|15784488] [b:Web of Deceit|11478192|Web of Deceit (Elemental Assassin #0.75)|Jennifer Estep|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg|16413134] and [b:Spider's Bargain|11478167|Spider's Bargain (Elemental Assassin #0.90)|Jennifer Estep|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg|16413109]. Reading them certainly isn't necessary to enjoy the novel, and it's definitely better to avoid reading [b:Web of Deceit|11478192|Web of Deceit (Elemental Assassin #0.75)|Jennifer Estep|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg|16413134] first. They are good stories, though, and I do recommend that anyone who enjoys Estep's work seek them out in order to enjoy the additional bits of information gained in them. For instance, [b:Spider's Bargain|11478167|Spider's Bargain (Elemental Assassin #0.90)|Jennifer Estep|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg|16413109] is the story of an event that is pivotal to Gin and Caine's relationship, and its consequences are likely to continue echoing through the next few volumes of the series.
I'm aware of another series by Estep, <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/series/44008-bigtime">Bigtime</a>;. I was thinking of reading it, but it was written earlier than the <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/series/47271-elemental-assassin">Elemental Assassin</a> series, and now I'm not so sure about whether I want to read it or not. Estep's characters are interesting, but I'm not sure that they're interesting enough to hold me through writing that's less polished than [b:Spider's Bite|6611038|Spider's Bite (Elemental Assassin, #1)|Jennifer Estep|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1254292883s/6611038.jpg|6805023]. Then again, I've certainly read worse. I suppose it all depends on what I happen to have in hand at any given time. I'd be more likely to read it if there were short stories available similar to the ones on Estep's web site that drew me in to this series.
I didn't do reviews for those, but there are three stories that occur chronologically before [b:Spider's Bite|6611038|Spider's Bite (Elemental Assassin, #1)|Jennifer Estep|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1254292883s/6611038.jpg|6805023]: [b:Poison|10869243|Poison (Elemental Assassin #0.5)|Jennifer Estep|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg|15784488] [b:Web of Deceit|11478192|Web of Deceit (Elemental Assassin #0.75)|Jennifer Estep|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg|16413134] and [b:Spider's Bargain|11478167|Spider's Bargain (Elemental Assassin #0.90)|Jennifer Estep|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg|16413109]. Reading them certainly isn't necessary to enjoy the novel, and it's definitely better to avoid reading [b:Web of Deceit|11478192|Web of Deceit (Elemental Assassin #0.75)|Jennifer Estep|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg|16413134] first. They are good stories, though, and I do recommend that anyone who enjoys Estep's work seek them out in order to enjoy the additional bits of information gained in them. For instance, [b:Spider's Bargain|11478167|Spider's Bargain (Elemental Assassin #0.90)|Jennifer Estep|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg|16413109] is the story of an event that is pivotal to Gin and Caine's relationship, and its consequences are likely to continue echoing through the next few volumes of the series.
Rhonda Koti (2 KP) rated Bitter Orange in Books
Dec 3, 2018
Bittersweet Bitter Orange
Bitter Orange has three main characters and the story is told from their narrative.
Francis Jellico who has never left home, much less her mother's side, until this year when her mother passed. Even after her mother's passing, Francis kept the death a secret for at least a month until the stench got too great.
Francis inherited her mother's eccentricities which included wearing her dead mother's undergarments even tho they did not fit and also a locker her mother wore that had a generic picture in it. Her mother had never put Francis' picture in.
Cara- young, sexy, assertive, self assured, talkative and friendly. Her glaring sin was she had problems with remembering which was truth and which were lies and keeping the truths and the lies straight so basically , she didn't make any sense most of the time.
Peter - older than Cara and very much in love with her but not liking her much on most days. He seemed genuinely caring but also as if he would like to break away from her. He also had a good idea for property value and costs of goods...especially antiques and knew what to sell to whom for what price point.
Basically, these three characters have been hired by an American investor to catalog the items in a mansion the investor had bought as well as to catalog the grounds and flower gardens. It is believed the investor plans to sell the property.
The mansion is large with many spacious rooms and bathrooms but only two of the bathrooms actually work. For some unknown reason ,Frances has been put in the maids quarters in the attic and the couple on the first floor with a mini suite at their disposal,.
As the three begin working together , each performing their job they soon begin hanging out together after hours, eating and smoking together.
This is where the story starts getting twisted. There seems to be a bit of jealousy between Cara and Peter over Francis. Cara gets jealous if Peter spends too much time with her, even if they are working and Francis misinterprets Peter's friendship.
All in all, this was a great read. It really kept me on the edge of my seat and the ending totally surprised me.
Bitter Orange: A bittersweet story set in 1969.
Francis Jellico who has never left home, much less her mother's side, until this year when her mother passed. Even after her mother's passing, Francis kept the death a secret for at least a month until the stench got too great.
Francis inherited her mother's eccentricities which included wearing her dead mother's undergarments even tho they did not fit and also a locker her mother wore that had a generic picture in it. Her mother had never put Francis' picture in.
Cara- young, sexy, assertive, self assured, talkative and friendly. Her glaring sin was she had problems with remembering which was truth and which were lies and keeping the truths and the lies straight so basically , she didn't make any sense most of the time.
Peter - older than Cara and very much in love with her but not liking her much on most days. He seemed genuinely caring but also as if he would like to break away from her. He also had a good idea for property value and costs of goods...especially antiques and knew what to sell to whom for what price point.
Basically, these three characters have been hired by an American investor to catalog the items in a mansion the investor had bought as well as to catalog the grounds and flower gardens. It is believed the investor plans to sell the property.
The mansion is large with many spacious rooms and bathrooms but only two of the bathrooms actually work. For some unknown reason ,Frances has been put in the maids quarters in the attic and the couple on the first floor with a mini suite at their disposal,.
As the three begin working together , each performing their job they soon begin hanging out together after hours, eating and smoking together.
This is where the story starts getting twisted. There seems to be a bit of jealousy between Cara and Peter over Francis. Cara gets jealous if Peter spends too much time with her, even if they are working and Francis misinterprets Peter's friendship.
All in all, this was a great read. It really kept me on the edge of my seat and the ending totally surprised me.
Bitter Orange: A bittersweet story set in 1969.
Brumpolarbears (22 KP) rated The Old Hellfire Club in Tabletop Games
Jun 18, 2019
UK Games Expo 2018 was every boardgame fan’s dream. From party games and family favourites to elaborate miniatures and fantasy RPGs. The credit card certainly took a bashing that weekend, but there was one game which we weren’t able to purchase (due to it not actually being out), yet it left a rather lasting impression.
In The Old Hellfire Club two to six players take on the roles of the destitute final members of an ancient aristocratic secret society as they recount the tales of their greatest adventures to the patrons of the shadiest public houses of Old London Town. Drawing on the cards in their hands for inspiration, players weave an ever more elaborate (although far from honest) tale of daring and adventure in the hope that the drinking den’s patrons will offer them a penny for their woes. As competition for the pennies on offer increases, so too do the exaggerations and outright lies players tell about their role in the story in the hope of making themselves seem more deserving. At any time, a player can challenge anothers versions of the story by playing a less impressive card from their own hand, thereby revealing the exaggeration and taking the rewards for the story. When the tale reaches its climax, whoever has been given the most pennies wins the game.
You can win pennies by getting away with telling extravagant lies about the adventures you had (by playing
high value Boast Cards without being successfully challenged by other players), through the charity of
strangers (by meeting the conditions set out on certain Patron Cards), and by satisfying the predilections of
the mysterious benefactors lurking in the audience (by successfully playing the most cards from a particular
suit over the course of the game).
While there’s still some time until you can physically purchase The Old Hellfire Club, which launches on Kickstarter on 9 April 2019, the developers have launched a free….yes free….print and play version of the game, meaning you can print your own copies of the cards and play with friends.
You can download a copy of the file by visiting The Old Hellfire Club’s profile on Boardgame Geek. I cannot rate this game highly enough. While I was sceptical at first because, in all honesty, I’m not that great at creating stories on the spot, especially those set in Victorian England, The Old Hellfire Club was incredibly quick to pick up. During the preview at UK Games Expo there were quite a few laughs, particularly when I joined Karl Marx for a gin or two. Who knows where future tales may lead.
In The Old Hellfire Club two to six players take on the roles of the destitute final members of an ancient aristocratic secret society as they recount the tales of their greatest adventures to the patrons of the shadiest public houses of Old London Town. Drawing on the cards in their hands for inspiration, players weave an ever more elaborate (although far from honest) tale of daring and adventure in the hope that the drinking den’s patrons will offer them a penny for their woes. As competition for the pennies on offer increases, so too do the exaggerations and outright lies players tell about their role in the story in the hope of making themselves seem more deserving. At any time, a player can challenge anothers versions of the story by playing a less impressive card from their own hand, thereby revealing the exaggeration and taking the rewards for the story. When the tale reaches its climax, whoever has been given the most pennies wins the game.
You can win pennies by getting away with telling extravagant lies about the adventures you had (by playing
high value Boast Cards without being successfully challenged by other players), through the charity of
strangers (by meeting the conditions set out on certain Patron Cards), and by satisfying the predilections of
the mysterious benefactors lurking in the audience (by successfully playing the most cards from a particular
suit over the course of the game).
While there’s still some time until you can physically purchase The Old Hellfire Club, which launches on Kickstarter on 9 April 2019, the developers have launched a free….yes free….print and play version of the game, meaning you can print your own copies of the cards and play with friends.
You can download a copy of the file by visiting The Old Hellfire Club’s profile on Boardgame Geek. I cannot rate this game highly enough. While I was sceptical at first because, in all honesty, I’m not that great at creating stories on the spot, especially those set in Victorian England, The Old Hellfire Club was incredibly quick to pick up. During the preview at UK Games Expo there were quite a few laughs, particularly when I joined Karl Marx for a gin or two. Who knows where future tales may lead.
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated The Operator in Books
Mar 19, 2020
Vivian Dalton is a switchboard operator in the small town of Wooster, Ohio. She knows the people of her town quite well--thanks in no small part to the eavesdropping she and the other women do while working at Bell. Usually it's pretty harmless, but that all changes one December night when Vivian listens in on a call between Betty Miller--a rich woman whom she despises--and someone else, whom she doesn't recognize. Their conversation reveals a shocking secret that affects Vivian personally and, if true, will change her life forever. Vivian is horrified, and she starts to investigate. In doing so, she begins to unearth even more secrets and lies.
"That was the thing about small towns. Everyone knew everyone else's business."
I don't often pick up historical fiction, but I won this book, and it sounded interesting. It certainly was. This is a fascinating look at small town relationships and the power of secrets and family. Vivian is quite a character; married to her husband, Edward, for fifteen years, with a daughter Charlotte, who is a sophomore in high school. Her life is small and mainly confined to Wooster. Vivian resents her siblings who finished high school, something she couldn't do as she had to help her family when money grew tight.
The book starts off a little slow, as I'm never a huge fan when we're told there's a huge secret (what Vivian overhears) but it isn't revealed. Once we finally find out what it was, things pick up. Vivian takes on more power, showing a tough and determined side, especially for what was expected of women in 1950s. The book does a good job of illustrating the limitations, but also strengths, of women in the time period. Berg also includes excerpts from Vivian's childhood and growing in the 1930s. I enjoyed seeing how different things were and watching Vivian overcome so much. Her daughter, Charlotte, was a great character, too. There are also a lot of side stories, too, involving a host of small town Wooster characters and even a bank robbery.
Overall, while this took a while to warm up, it was an intriguing look at lies and secrets and how they affected the Dalton family. It's easy to get invested in Vivian and Charlotte (her husband, Edward, seemed like a pretty one-dimensional character, though). It does a strong job of portraying women and all they endure. The book is witty and heartfelt as well. 3.75 stars, rounded to four here.
"That was the thing about small towns. Everyone knew everyone else's business."
I don't often pick up historical fiction, but I won this book, and it sounded interesting. It certainly was. This is a fascinating look at small town relationships and the power of secrets and family. Vivian is quite a character; married to her husband, Edward, for fifteen years, with a daughter Charlotte, who is a sophomore in high school. Her life is small and mainly confined to Wooster. Vivian resents her siblings who finished high school, something she couldn't do as she had to help her family when money grew tight.
The book starts off a little slow, as I'm never a huge fan when we're told there's a huge secret (what Vivian overhears) but it isn't revealed. Once we finally find out what it was, things pick up. Vivian takes on more power, showing a tough and determined side, especially for what was expected of women in 1950s. The book does a good job of illustrating the limitations, but also strengths, of women in the time period. Berg also includes excerpts from Vivian's childhood and growing in the 1930s. I enjoyed seeing how different things were and watching Vivian overcome so much. Her daughter, Charlotte, was a great character, too. There are also a lot of side stories, too, involving a host of small town Wooster characters and even a bank robbery.
Overall, while this took a while to warm up, it was an intriguing look at lies and secrets and how they affected the Dalton family. It's easy to get invested in Vivian and Charlotte (her husband, Edward, seemed like a pretty one-dimensional character, though). It does a strong job of portraying women and all they endure. The book is witty and heartfelt as well. 3.75 stars, rounded to four here.