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Charlotte (184 KP) rated The Voinico's Daughter (The Vanator Vampire Hunters #1) in Books
Dec 24, 2021
Yes!!
What a brilliant start to what looks to be an awesome new series!
The Voinico's Daughter has everything you need to hook you into this cracking world of vampires, mystery and family dynamics. From high school to high profile, Nicoleta has a lot of adjusting to do and with some very powerful vampires to deal with learning the "trade" becomes even more if a priority.
I'm so glad I've had the opportunity to read this and I can't wait for the next installment.......I'm so impatient!! This is definitely a box of chocolates worthy, add in comfy pajamas and you'll be transported to Romania in luxury.
What a brilliant start to what looks to be an awesome new series!
The Voinico's Daughter has everything you need to hook you into this cracking world of vampires, mystery and family dynamics. From high school to high profile, Nicoleta has a lot of adjusting to do and with some very powerful vampires to deal with learning the "trade" becomes even more if a priority.
I'm so glad I've had the opportunity to read this and I can't wait for the next installment.......I'm so impatient!! This is definitely a box of chocolates worthy, add in comfy pajamas and you'll be transported to Romania in luxury.
Dean (6927 KP) rated The Last Duel (2021) in Movies
Jul 31, 2022
Adam Driver (1 more)
Good battle scenes
Drawn out sword drama
Missed this at the cinema last year, it didn't get a long run. Now on Disney+ the cast is really good and the trailer looked promising. You get the story as told from 3 different perspectives of the main characters, this does lead to a lot of repetition of some scenes. The battle scenes are good if very short, not on the scale of other films like Gladiator. Adam Driver really stands out above the others in this. A decent film but just a fair bit longer than it needed to be.
Cori June (3033 KP) rated You Suck (A Love Story, #2) in Books
Feb 2, 2022
The Emperor of San Francisco (2 more)
easy read
witty
I enjoyed the second instalment of the love story series. Vampires aren't my favorite mythological being, that being said, this is a lot of fun. You do get a small introduction/cross over into A Dirty Job, An easy and fast read which I enjoy it's witty and there are more than a few laugh-out-loud moments. I like most of the characters even Abby and I can see where people will hate her cause she's a bit much and if I tell you more I'd be spoiling things.
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Anarchy (Hive Trilogy, #2) in Books
Nov 30, 2023
181 of 235
Kindle
Anarchy ( Hove Trilogy 2)
By jaymin Eve and Leia Stone
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Did Charlie Bennett ever tell you that vampires are evil spawn? Well they are!
She's had just about enough of them and when the unthinkable happens, she decides it might just be time to use her blood as a weapon against them.
It's time for a little anarchy.
It was a decent read and we found out a lot more about Charlie. I was a little disappointed in parts and I can’t pinpoint what but something was annoying me about the whole situation. But still a few good reveals ready for book 3.
Kindle
Anarchy ( Hove Trilogy 2)
By jaymin Eve and Leia Stone
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Did Charlie Bennett ever tell you that vampires are evil spawn? Well they are!
She's had just about enough of them and when the unthinkable happens, she decides it might just be time to use her blood as a weapon against them.
It's time for a little anarchy.
It was a decent read and we found out a lot more about Charlie. I was a little disappointed in parts and I can’t pinpoint what but something was annoying me about the whole situation. But still a few good reveals ready for book 3.
The Marinated Meeple (1853 KP) rated Wine Cellar in Tabletop Games
Feb 11, 2025
Easy to learn (8 more)
Quick to play, 15-25 min
Tough Choices
Want to play again immediately
plays up to 8 players
Pairs well with wine
Small box, you can take it out and about, to wineries maybe
You can learn about all different kinds of wines
Client cards make it different each time
A great, easy to play game about wine and how it ages
It's a fantastic game you can play with people who don't play a lot of games, but if you are a person who plays games, this feels like a modern classic like For Sale, but a much better theme.
Eleanor (1463 KP) rated The Surgeon (Rizzoli & Isles, #1) in Books
May 22, 2019
Gore heavy police procedural
This is the first book in the Rizzoli and Isles thriller series, apparently there is a TV series based off this but I’ve never seen it so went into this blind. Isles does not appear as a character in this book and even RIzzoli is more of a secondary character.
Catherine Cordell is a skilled surgeon working in Boston where she fled to following a horrific attack two years ago. Although she killed her attacker her exterior confidence hides the continued fear the trauma has instilled in her everyday life. When the impossible seems to occur and the killer returns to stalk her, Detective Moore is determined to protect along with fellow officer Rizzoli.
The villain and what he does is full on terrifying and creepy as hell (just the way I like them.) However if you are in any way squeamish and don’t like a lot of blood and gore you should probably avoid this book. There is a lot of graphic descriptions of injuries of people coming into an emergency room, surgery and torture. Rape is also a central theme and again descriptions can be disturbing so be warned.
This felt like a very solid police procedural book. The style will be familiar with Criminal Minds fans in that you get to see a bit behind the curtain. I didn’t feel there was a lot of puzzling mystery, but you were swept along in the investigation to find the unsub.
My main hope with this series is Rizzoli becomes a bit more human, in this book I just wanted to slap her for being such a cow to both victims and colleagues. Her constant internal moaning about how bad she is treated because she’s a woman made me laugh, it seemed more to be just because she isn’t a very nice person. She doesn't come across as a very good cop at all, poor at doing interviews, following procedure, working as a team. Meanwhile Moore was a much more sympathetic character.
Looking forward to seeing where the series goes from here.
Catherine Cordell is a skilled surgeon working in Boston where she fled to following a horrific attack two years ago. Although she killed her attacker her exterior confidence hides the continued fear the trauma has instilled in her everyday life. When the impossible seems to occur and the killer returns to stalk her, Detective Moore is determined to protect along with fellow officer Rizzoli.
The villain and what he does is full on terrifying and creepy as hell (just the way I like them.) However if you are in any way squeamish and don’t like a lot of blood and gore you should probably avoid this book. There is a lot of graphic descriptions of injuries of people coming into an emergency room, surgery and torture. Rape is also a central theme and again descriptions can be disturbing so be warned.
This felt like a very solid police procedural book. The style will be familiar with Criminal Minds fans in that you get to see a bit behind the curtain. I didn’t feel there was a lot of puzzling mystery, but you were swept along in the investigation to find the unsub.
My main hope with this series is Rizzoli becomes a bit more human, in this book I just wanted to slap her for being such a cow to both victims and colleagues. Her constant internal moaning about how bad she is treated because she’s a woman made me laugh, it seemed more to be just because she isn’t a very nice person. She doesn't come across as a very good cop at all, poor at doing interviews, following procedure, working as a team. Meanwhile Moore was a much more sympathetic character.
Looking forward to seeing where the series goes from here.
I think I'm becoming quite the Ali Smith fan
I absolutely loved this book. I'm becoming quite a fan, and I think I need to read more of Ali Smith's back catalogue. This novel is witty, current, heartfelt with a full-on family! Ali Smith has a lot of political dross and general misery in the news lately to find material from (unfortunately!), but she does so much good WITH it. In the blurb it says about this book that it's "The season that teaches us survival", and the characters in this certainly do just that.
There is a lot of jumping around in time: things that happened in the past that have a bearing on the presents of the characters, and the occasional toe-dip into their futures too. A lot can happen in the few days over Christmas. We're never quite sure if the mother in this is losing her mind or not (it would be a safe bet to say "yes", but then her son isn't particularly stable during the time period that the book is set in either).
I love the wittiness of Smith's writing. For the Brits reading this, you'll probably get this one straight away, but for everyone else, she's referring to Boris Johnson our current (2018) Foreign Secretary (although I think this would probably apply to any politician, regardless of political party or country! Call me a cynic!): "The man who wrote the dictionary. Johnson. Not Boris. The opposite of Boris. A man interested in the meanings of words, not one whose interests leave words meaningless."
And just a quote to finish with. One that represents both the season that the book is set in, and also one of the main story arcs:
"Cymbeline, he says. The one about poison, mess, bitterness, then the balance coming back. The lies revealed. The losses compensated".
Ali Smiths style can take a bit of getting used to (you'll probably have noticed the lack of speech marks - that's not a mistake on my part, by the way), but her books are so worth the effort.
There is a lot of jumping around in time: things that happened in the past that have a bearing on the presents of the characters, and the occasional toe-dip into their futures too. A lot can happen in the few days over Christmas. We're never quite sure if the mother in this is losing her mind or not (it would be a safe bet to say "yes", but then her son isn't particularly stable during the time period that the book is set in either).
I love the wittiness of Smith's writing. For the Brits reading this, you'll probably get this one straight away, but for everyone else, she's referring to Boris Johnson our current (2018) Foreign Secretary (although I think this would probably apply to any politician, regardless of political party or country! Call me a cynic!): "The man who wrote the dictionary. Johnson. Not Boris. The opposite of Boris. A man interested in the meanings of words, not one whose interests leave words meaningless."
And just a quote to finish with. One that represents both the season that the book is set in, and also one of the main story arcs:
"Cymbeline, he says. The one about poison, mess, bitterness, then the balance coming back. The lies revealed. The losses compensated".
Ali Smiths style can take a bit of getting used to (you'll probably have noticed the lack of speech marks - that's not a mistake on my part, by the way), but her books are so worth the effort.
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Michael Jordan: The Life in Books
Feb 13, 2018
I'm a huge Michael Jordan fan, so I was excited to read this book. It was definitely a worthwhile read, especially if you're a basketball, MJ, or Chicago Bulls fan. The level of detail is amazing, and I learned a lot about Michael's early years, especially, as well as some great facts about his college selection process, his first deals with Nike and such. If you're a sports geek, you'll eat this stuff up.
The book picks up speed once Michael joins the Bulls and sort of blows through his Championships. I get it - there are plenty of other reads about those events (including some by Lazenby himself, I believe), but I wouldn't have minded a few more details about some of his years with the Bulls.
If those years go by quickly in the book, his time after the Bulls is really glossed over. For me, that was the one real disappointment of this biography. That's sort of the part of MJ that's such a mystery and it was a little sad not to know more about what he's up to these days. There is, however, some great information about his time with the Wizards organization.
All told, even when some of the years pass by quickly, the book is a worthy read. I think it presents a pretty fair portrait of Jordan. He's recognized as a hero to many, but Lazenby certainly brings in quotes and perspectives from all sides, including those who don't always sing his praises. You learn a lot about MJ's childhood and family make-up and how it created the determined, competitive individual that he is. If you're a fan, there are some quotes that will make you laugh out loud and other passages that will fascinate you. And there are plenty of little tidbits you can trot out at dinner parties... (ok, ok, maybe just with your other sports nerds friends. But there are lots of fun stories and facts throughout the book!)
By the end you'll know a lot about Michael, but still be left wondering a bit. But perhaps that's the key to Jordan all along.
The book picks up speed once Michael joins the Bulls and sort of blows through his Championships. I get it - there are plenty of other reads about those events (including some by Lazenby himself, I believe), but I wouldn't have minded a few more details about some of his years with the Bulls.
If those years go by quickly in the book, his time after the Bulls is really glossed over. For me, that was the one real disappointment of this biography. That's sort of the part of MJ that's such a mystery and it was a little sad not to know more about what he's up to these days. There is, however, some great information about his time with the Wizards organization.
All told, even when some of the years pass by quickly, the book is a worthy read. I think it presents a pretty fair portrait of Jordan. He's recognized as a hero to many, but Lazenby certainly brings in quotes and perspectives from all sides, including those who don't always sing his praises. You learn a lot about MJ's childhood and family make-up and how it created the determined, competitive individual that he is. If you're a fan, there are some quotes that will make you laugh out loud and other passages that will fascinate you. And there are plenty of little tidbits you can trot out at dinner parties... (ok, ok, maybe just with your other sports nerds friends. But there are lots of fun stories and facts throughout the book!)
By the end you'll know a lot about Michael, but still be left wondering a bit. But perhaps that's the key to Jordan all along.
Rikki Hammond (33 KP) rated Room 25 in Tabletop Games
Jun 19, 2019
Loads of game modes (2 more)
Variable difficulty adds to replayability
Hectic fun at higher player counts
No difference in characters (1 more)
Games can be over very quick due to bad luck
A Quick Game, With A Lot To Offer
Despite the appearance, Room 25 is one of those games that has a lot to offer, and can be played pretty much how you want it.
The game is played out over 25 room tiles, which are laid out face down apart from the starting room in the middle, and the basic goal is to make it to the elusive Room 25, somewhere out on the grid, but you have to do it quick, as there is a set number of turns to find it in.
Players will simultaneously choose to do 1 or 2 actions on their turn, and can choose to move into a room, thus revealing it's effect to everyone, push another player into a room, peek at a room, or slide a whole row of rooms in the direction of their choosing (nit including the starting room.)
Rooms are split into 3 colours: Green are safe, and can sometimes help you, yellow are normally traps or hinderances, and red rooms can kill you in one way or another (there's even a room that is instant death if you move into it.) Players have to navigate the rooms using their actions, and hope they don't meet their demise.
There are also varying game modes and difficulties to choose from. Competitive pits everyone against each other, co-operative means everyone is trying to work together, and team mode has two groups trying to outwit the other team. You can also adjust the difficulty by adding or removing more yellow and red rooms (the manual has set layouts for the tiles, but you can also customise as you see fit.)
Room 25 has a lot of replayability, but does suffer from a bit of luck. If there is bad decisions made, you can be eliminated very early on. The characters in the base game, although looking cool, have no differences to them either (which is resolved in the expansion.)
These are minor gripes though, and doesn't stop Room 25 being a fast paced, hectic, but enjoyable game.
The game is played out over 25 room tiles, which are laid out face down apart from the starting room in the middle, and the basic goal is to make it to the elusive Room 25, somewhere out on the grid, but you have to do it quick, as there is a set number of turns to find it in.
Players will simultaneously choose to do 1 or 2 actions on their turn, and can choose to move into a room, thus revealing it's effect to everyone, push another player into a room, peek at a room, or slide a whole row of rooms in the direction of their choosing (nit including the starting room.)
Rooms are split into 3 colours: Green are safe, and can sometimes help you, yellow are normally traps or hinderances, and red rooms can kill you in one way or another (there's even a room that is instant death if you move into it.) Players have to navigate the rooms using their actions, and hope they don't meet their demise.
There are also varying game modes and difficulties to choose from. Competitive pits everyone against each other, co-operative means everyone is trying to work together, and team mode has two groups trying to outwit the other team. You can also adjust the difficulty by adding or removing more yellow and red rooms (the manual has set layouts for the tiles, but you can also customise as you see fit.)
Room 25 has a lot of replayability, but does suffer from a bit of luck. If there is bad decisions made, you can be eliminated very early on. The characters in the base game, although looking cool, have no differences to them either (which is resolved in the expansion.)
These are minor gripes though, and doesn't stop Room 25 being a fast paced, hectic, but enjoyable game.
Debbiereadsbook (1437 KP) rated Home and Heart in Books
Jan 7, 2019
so much sex!
Independent reviewer for Divine Magazine, I was gifted my copy of this book.
For the most part, I DID enjoy this. Mostly.
I will always say I like my male/male books on the more explicit side, and I will make no apologies for that. More sexy time is always better for me, SO LONG as the story can carry it. However, HERE, I found that while there is a lot of sex, it's not carried well by the story. What is here is good, and it's well written and super sexy, but I just felt the overall story gets lost somewhere along the way.
Sawyer's husband died 6 years ago, and he took to the bottle to literally drown his sorrows. Now, he's sober and ups and moves clear across the country for a new start. That there are three guys in the building with a friends with benefit type arrangement, helps Sawyer a lot.
The type of relationship Sawyer had with his husband, the depth of that, creeps out slowly, as does the depth of the relationship between Benny and Luke, and I did like that. I LOVED that Luke and Benny were well established and Derek their sometime third. LOVED that Luke saw that Sawyer was a sub, very quickly, and that he began teaching Derek to be Sawyer's Dom. Loved that Derek didn't even KNOW he wanted to be a Dom, before Sawyer. I loved that once in, Derek was adamant that Sawyer was HIS and HIS alone and HE would be the one to give Sawyer what he needed, even if Derek wasn't keen on whatever that might be.
So, what is here is great, brilliant and all that but I just felt the STORY, Sawyer's story, about moving across the country for a new start, coming out of his shell, was lost in all that, very well written and delivered, sex.
And if I say there is too much sex, you gotta know there is a lot!
All four guys do get a say, and I did finish it in one sitting. Enjoyable enough for that so
3 solid stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
For the most part, I DID enjoy this. Mostly.
I will always say I like my male/male books on the more explicit side, and I will make no apologies for that. More sexy time is always better for me, SO LONG as the story can carry it. However, HERE, I found that while there is a lot of sex, it's not carried well by the story. What is here is good, and it's well written and super sexy, but I just felt the overall story gets lost somewhere along the way.
Sawyer's husband died 6 years ago, and he took to the bottle to literally drown his sorrows. Now, he's sober and ups and moves clear across the country for a new start. That there are three guys in the building with a friends with benefit type arrangement, helps Sawyer a lot.
The type of relationship Sawyer had with his husband, the depth of that, creeps out slowly, as does the depth of the relationship between Benny and Luke, and I did like that. I LOVED that Luke and Benny were well established and Derek their sometime third. LOVED that Luke saw that Sawyer was a sub, very quickly, and that he began teaching Derek to be Sawyer's Dom. Loved that Derek didn't even KNOW he wanted to be a Dom, before Sawyer. I loved that once in, Derek was adamant that Sawyer was HIS and HIS alone and HE would be the one to give Sawyer what he needed, even if Derek wasn't keen on whatever that might be.
So, what is here is great, brilliant and all that but I just felt the STORY, Sawyer's story, about moving across the country for a new start, coming out of his shell, was lost in all that, very well written and delivered, sex.
And if I say there is too much sex, you gotta know there is a lot!
All four guys do get a say, and I did finish it in one sitting. Enjoyable enough for that so
3 solid stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**