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Two Necromancers, a Dwarf Kingdom, and a Sky City (The Unconventional Heroes #4)
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Two necromancers, a dwarf kingdom, and a sky city – it sounds like a prelude to mayhem, and given...
Merissa (12894 KP) rated Pumped (Mars Fitness #3) in Books
Feb 12, 2025
PUMPED is the third and final book in the Mars Fitness series and, in my opinion, the one with the least amount of Mars Fitness in it! LOL Everest works there and we do meet the guys, but that's about it. Anyway, moving on...
Everest and Owen have a hot and steamy one-night stand during a bachelor party. After that, nothing. Well, apart from lots of bad attitude. Owen likes to plan and have things organised, whereas Everest is more of a go-with-the-flow kinda guy. Everything changes when a tragedy happens and Owen and Everest are announced as co-parents in the will. Oh my, but my eyes had major leakage by this point. It was so well-written!
There was lots of toing and froing as these two figured out how to co-parent a little girl who needed lots of love and reassurance, as well as boundaries! Owen (obviously) was the bad guy, while Everest was the happy-go-lucky anything-goes-one. This completely worked with their personalities but it did mean I didn't particularly like Everest during a couple of parts.
Their realisations were funny and I loved how it wasn't instantaneous and they had to work at it. Nothing was easy in this book! Ivy has an old soul with a wise head on her young shoulders, for all she is six years old. I thought she was extremely well-written and have lived through temper tantrums like hers with my own daughters.
A great ending to the series, although I wish we could have more. Thoroughly enjoyable and HIGHLY RECOMMENDED by me.
** 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!
Feb 12, 2025
Everest and Owen have a hot and steamy one-night stand during a bachelor party. After that, nothing. Well, apart from lots of bad attitude. Owen likes to plan and have things organised, whereas Everest is more of a go-with-the-flow kinda guy. Everything changes when a tragedy happens and Owen and Everest are announced as co-parents in the will. Oh my, but my eyes had major leakage by this point. It was so well-written!
There was lots of toing and froing as these two figured out how to co-parent a little girl who needed lots of love and reassurance, as well as boundaries! Owen (obviously) was the bad guy, while Everest was the happy-go-lucky anything-goes-one. This completely worked with their personalities but it did mean I didn't particularly like Everest during a couple of parts.
Their realisations were funny and I loved how it wasn't instantaneous and they had to work at it. Nothing was easy in this book! Ivy has an old soul with a wise head on her young shoulders, for all she is six years old. I thought she was extremely well-written and have lived through temper tantrums like hers with my own daughters.
A great ending to the series, although I wish we could have more. Thoroughly enjoyable and HIGHLY RECOMMENDED by me.
** 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!
Feb 12, 2025
Feng Shui Calc and Compass: Home and Business
Lifestyle and Utilities
App
★★★The Best Feng Shui App you will ever experience!★★★ ★★★New Feature: Share your...
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Kids Chronicles: Quest for the Moon Stones in Tabletop Games
Jan 13, 2022
The Kids Table series from Purple Phoenix Games seeks to lightly explore games that are focused toward children and families. We will do our best to give some good insight, but not bog your down with the millions of rules…
In Kids Chronicles: Quest of the Moon Stones (which I will just call “this game” from here on out if you please), players are new apprentices to Merlin, the old wizard keeping two neighboring kingdoms together and keeping them from warring with each other. In this game, players will be adventuring across the double-sided board solving riddles, completing quests, and meeting tons of great characters all with the assistance and guidance of a free app specifically designed for this game.
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a copy of this game for the purposes of this review. This is a retail copy of the game, so what you see in these photos is exactly what would be received in your box. I do not intend to cover every single rule included in the rulebook, but will describe the overall game flow and major rule set so that our readers may get a sense of how the game plays. For more in depth rules, you may purchase a copy online or from your FLGS. -T
Setup could not be easier for this game. First, download the Kids Chronicles app to your phone or tablet, lay out the board (initially on the side that looks like Summer), display the Character cards and Item cards face-up in their respective decks. You don’t even have to sort or shuffle them! And you’re done. The game is ready to be played! Open the app and let it guide you through each mission – but do start with the tutorial, especially if any player hasn’t played a hybrid board game like this before.
I do not want to give away too much information in this review, so I will keep this portion brief. Throughout the game players will be marching around to different parts of the board, speaking with characters, collecting items, and solving riddles by scanning the QR codes found on the cards and board locations. I really should stop here so as not to spoil any actual gameplay information.
I have reviewed many of these hybrid app-driven games from Lucky Duck Games (Chronicles of Crime, CoC: 1400, CoC: 1900, and CoC: 2400). None of them, however, are designed for children, nor recommended for children to even play. With those titles, very adult themes are played through, but this is not so here with this game. Kids Chronicles is VERY family friendly, and the app simply walks players through the entire setup and missions.
What I enjoy most about this game, especially after having played their bigger siblings, is that there is no time limit to have things completed. So players can travel across the land, scanning whatever they like, and not be penalized for it. You just can’t do that with the grown-up versions. Also, the art is excellent and colorful – perfect for a kids game. The stunning visual appeal, free-feeling adventuring, and introducing the hybridization of apps and board games to children all work together really well here.
Now, the box advises that this game is for ages 7+ but my little 5-year-old loves this one and asks to play it all the time. There is a lot of reading to be done from the app (it doesn’t read anything aloud), but that just adds to the fun for us, because I enjoy adding different voices to the characters. So in a way, this is very similar to reading a nighttime book, but just way more fun.
So, if you have little gamers at home that are ready for that next step, I recommend checking out Kids Chronicles. I am super happy that Lucky Duck Games is branching out into the children’s games market, and bringing that excellent scanning mechanic along for the ride. Once you get the hang of this style of game, I suggest you also then pick up a copy of one of the Chronicles of Crime games for your adult game nights. You can thank me later!
In Kids Chronicles: Quest of the Moon Stones (which I will just call “this game” from here on out if you please), players are new apprentices to Merlin, the old wizard keeping two neighboring kingdoms together and keeping them from warring with each other. In this game, players will be adventuring across the double-sided board solving riddles, completing quests, and meeting tons of great characters all with the assistance and guidance of a free app specifically designed for this game.
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a copy of this game for the purposes of this review. This is a retail copy of the game, so what you see in these photos is exactly what would be received in your box. I do not intend to cover every single rule included in the rulebook, but will describe the overall game flow and major rule set so that our readers may get a sense of how the game plays. For more in depth rules, you may purchase a copy online or from your FLGS. -T
Setup could not be easier for this game. First, download the Kids Chronicles app to your phone or tablet, lay out the board (initially on the side that looks like Summer), display the Character cards and Item cards face-up in their respective decks. You don’t even have to sort or shuffle them! And you’re done. The game is ready to be played! Open the app and let it guide you through each mission – but do start with the tutorial, especially if any player hasn’t played a hybrid board game like this before.
I do not want to give away too much information in this review, so I will keep this portion brief. Throughout the game players will be marching around to different parts of the board, speaking with characters, collecting items, and solving riddles by scanning the QR codes found on the cards and board locations. I really should stop here so as not to spoil any actual gameplay information.
I have reviewed many of these hybrid app-driven games from Lucky Duck Games (Chronicles of Crime, CoC: 1400, CoC: 1900, and CoC: 2400). None of them, however, are designed for children, nor recommended for children to even play. With those titles, very adult themes are played through, but this is not so here with this game. Kids Chronicles is VERY family friendly, and the app simply walks players through the entire setup and missions.
What I enjoy most about this game, especially after having played their bigger siblings, is that there is no time limit to have things completed. So players can travel across the land, scanning whatever they like, and not be penalized for it. You just can’t do that with the grown-up versions. Also, the art is excellent and colorful – perfect for a kids game. The stunning visual appeal, free-feeling adventuring, and introducing the hybridization of apps and board games to children all work together really well here.
Now, the box advises that this game is for ages 7+ but my little 5-year-old loves this one and asks to play it all the time. There is a lot of reading to be done from the app (it doesn’t read anything aloud), but that just adds to the fun for us, because I enjoy adding different voices to the characters. So in a way, this is very similar to reading a nighttime book, but just way more fun.
So, if you have little gamers at home that are ready for that next step, I recommend checking out Kids Chronicles. I am super happy that Lucky Duck Games is branching out into the children’s games market, and bringing that excellent scanning mechanic along for the ride. Once you get the hang of this style of game, I suggest you also then pick up a copy of one of the Chronicles of Crime games for your adult game nights. You can thank me later!
Akward (448 KP) rated Terraforming Mars in Tabletop Games
May 24, 2018 (Updated May 27, 2018)
Theme (1 more)
Mechanics
The Hottest Game of The Year
Terraforming Mars is one of the most refined games that our group has ever played. One of the problems that plagues so many games is that once you find a winning strategy, you basically just play that strategy until you get bored of the game and movie on. In Terraforming Mars, there are a significant number of strategies that can win the game. We have had people win by focusing on playing the board, building up actions, focusing on production, or focusing on money. There does not appear to be one central strategy that trumps the others. A lot of people will complain about the randomness of the cards that you receive, but this helps guide you in to a strategy that you may not otherwise play.
There are enough mechanics to keep the game interesting. But all of the mechanics are simple enough that explaining the game to new people is not challenging. You would also expect a game of this type to take a long time to play, but once everyone is familiar with the rules, games can be as short as an hour.
I will agree with other reviewers that the default mats to manage resources do not do a good job, and aftermarket solutions make life easier (although not required). The expansions are also nice, after you've played a few games. Hallas & Elysium adds two additional boards that change the game slightly, and also provide different awards that keep you on your toes. Venus Next adds a few additional mechanics, and also introduces the World Government rule, making games faster.
Other people have mentioned that they do not like the artwork, and that they have had issues with the resource cubes wearing out. I don't really have a problem with either one of those things, but I may just be lucky. My cubes still look great after 50+ games.
There is a reason that Terraforming Mars has exploded in the last year. I would highly recommend everyone try it. Even my wife, who isn't traditionally a fan of more complicated games, likes it.
There are enough mechanics to keep the game interesting. But all of the mechanics are simple enough that explaining the game to new people is not challenging. You would also expect a game of this type to take a long time to play, but once everyone is familiar with the rules, games can be as short as an hour.
I will agree with other reviewers that the default mats to manage resources do not do a good job, and aftermarket solutions make life easier (although not required). The expansions are also nice, after you've played a few games. Hallas & Elysium adds two additional boards that change the game slightly, and also provide different awards that keep you on your toes. Venus Next adds a few additional mechanics, and also introduces the World Government rule, making games faster.
Other people have mentioned that they do not like the artwork, and that they have had issues with the resource cubes wearing out. I don't really have a problem with either one of those things, but I may just be lucky. My cubes still look great after 50+ games.
There is a reason that Terraforming Mars has exploded in the last year. I would highly recommend everyone try it. Even my wife, who isn't traditionally a fan of more complicated games, likes it.
Midge (525 KP) rated If You're Not The One in Books
Feb 25, 2019
A Fun, Fabulous Book All About Friendship And Love!
What a treat this pleasant and delightful romance was, from the best-seller author, Laura Briggs. I have read a couple of Briggs’ novels before, so I knew when I chose to read this that I would be in for a treat.
Although this book is the third in a series of stories about three women running a wedding planning business together, I thought this story worked fine as a standalone. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading about the Wedding Belles - the three friends with their wedding planning business. Tessa is the planner, Natalie the designer, and Ama the caterer. Each have their own, unique voice and different opinions on love.
The protagonist in this third book is Natalie, the wedding dress designer. Natalie isn’t particularly romantic, herself. She doesn’t believe in true love, or destiny and she thinks that people are just plain lucky if they happen to find that certain someone. It’s coincidence and nothing more.
As a wedding dress designer though, she knows she has to keep these feelings under wraps. Even if she’s suspicious that Harper, the bride she’s currently working with, might secretly agree with her. However, Natalie’s own love life is not straight-forward. Her family and friends are so keen for Natalie to ‘settle down’ that she comes to an agreement with her casual boyfriend, Chad, to call a halt on their constant speculation. But what of boy-next-door, Brayden, who has been smitten with Natalie since they were at High School together?
For me, the greatest part of IF YOU’RE NOT THE ONE is the friendship between these three young women. These are girl-friends with whom you want to share your innermost secrets, to be there for you, or to party or have lunch with.
I love that Laura Briggs writes with flair, which helped to make this novel as wonderful as it is. This book will be highly enjoyable for anyone who loves a good romance. Overall, it’s been an incredibly entertaining story and I very much recommend it.
[Thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture and Laura Briggs for my free ARC, in exchange for my voluntary review.]
Although this book is the third in a series of stories about three women running a wedding planning business together, I thought this story worked fine as a standalone. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading about the Wedding Belles - the three friends with their wedding planning business. Tessa is the planner, Natalie the designer, and Ama the caterer. Each have their own, unique voice and different opinions on love.
The protagonist in this third book is Natalie, the wedding dress designer. Natalie isn’t particularly romantic, herself. She doesn’t believe in true love, or destiny and she thinks that people are just plain lucky if they happen to find that certain someone. It’s coincidence and nothing more.
As a wedding dress designer though, she knows she has to keep these feelings under wraps. Even if she’s suspicious that Harper, the bride she’s currently working with, might secretly agree with her. However, Natalie’s own love life is not straight-forward. Her family and friends are so keen for Natalie to ‘settle down’ that she comes to an agreement with her casual boyfriend, Chad, to call a halt on their constant speculation. But what of boy-next-door, Brayden, who has been smitten with Natalie since they were at High School together?
For me, the greatest part of IF YOU’RE NOT THE ONE is the friendship between these three young women. These are girl-friends with whom you want to share your innermost secrets, to be there for you, or to party or have lunch with.
I love that Laura Briggs writes with flair, which helped to make this novel as wonderful as it is. This book will be highly enjoyable for anyone who loves a good romance. Overall, it’s been an incredibly entertaining story and I very much recommend it.
[Thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture and Laura Briggs for my free ARC, in exchange for my voluntary review.]
Debbiereadsbook (1437 KP) rated Stronger (Breaking Free #3.5) in Books
Mar 14, 2019
so glad Dex and Serge got a book!
**verified purchase Dec 2018**
This is book 3.5 in the Breaking Free series, but you can totally read this one as a stand alone. I would, however, STRONGLY recommend that you read the other books in the series, they are so bloody good, I'm inhaling them! You won't regret it! there is a bit on the listing for this book that says it should be read between 3 and 4, or after 4. The time lines cross some of the end of book 3. I've not yet read book 4, but will be reading that after.
Dex and Serge have been together a while and are awaiting the arrival of the child they have been lucky enough to adopt. And this book takes us back to the beginning of that beautiful relationship that positively GLOWS out of the other books.
I loved this couple inn the other books, and I am so glad we got the story of their mating. But what this book shows is, it's not just the omegas who are classed as second class citizens, but also the betas. Both Dex and Serge suffered at the hands of alphas who *thought* they were better than everyone else. I'm not telling how, cos that's spoilers, but Arthur keeps throwing these things at me, and just when I think it won't get any worse, it does!
It's a truly beautiful thing to watch Dex wait for Serge, it really is. Dex knows Serge is his mate, even if betas don't bond the same way alphas and omegas do. They LOVE far harder, though! Dex just needs to make sure that Serge knows he is safe, and that Dex loves him.
And we get Tarek too. His friendship with Dex is so Deep, that he stands up for Serge when he hears another alpha friend saying what he wanted to do to Serge. It shows that Tarek's soul is good and pure, way before he meets Braun in Saved (book one)
It's a lot shorter than the other books, some 150 pages, but it still packs quite a punch!
5 full stars
**same worded review ill appear elsewhere**
This is book 3.5 in the Breaking Free series, but you can totally read this one as a stand alone. I would, however, STRONGLY recommend that you read the other books in the series, they are so bloody good, I'm inhaling them! You won't regret it! there is a bit on the listing for this book that says it should be read between 3 and 4, or after 4. The time lines cross some of the end of book 3. I've not yet read book 4, but will be reading that after.
Dex and Serge have been together a while and are awaiting the arrival of the child they have been lucky enough to adopt. And this book takes us back to the beginning of that beautiful relationship that positively GLOWS out of the other books.
I loved this couple inn the other books, and I am so glad we got the story of their mating. But what this book shows is, it's not just the omegas who are classed as second class citizens, but also the betas. Both Dex and Serge suffered at the hands of alphas who *thought* they were better than everyone else. I'm not telling how, cos that's spoilers, but Arthur keeps throwing these things at me, and just when I think it won't get any worse, it does!
It's a truly beautiful thing to watch Dex wait for Serge, it really is. Dex knows Serge is his mate, even if betas don't bond the same way alphas and omegas do. They LOVE far harder, though! Dex just needs to make sure that Serge knows he is safe, and that Dex loves him.
And we get Tarek too. His friendship with Dex is so Deep, that he stands up for Serge when he hears another alpha friend saying what he wanted to do to Serge. It shows that Tarek's soul is good and pure, way before he meets Braun in Saved (book one)
It's a lot shorter than the other books, some 150 pages, but it still packs quite a punch!
5 full stars
**same worded review ill appear elsewhere**
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated The Cuckoo's Calling in Books
Apr 3, 2019
Cormoran Strike is a Private Investigator, who has just been hired by John Bristow to investigate the death of his sister Lula Landry. Lula is a model in England and she has had her share of issues, but no one expected her to commit suicide. Cormoran hasn't been very lucky in life himself as of late, and this case is exactly what he needs to get a jump start. The police have been all over the evidence and there is nothing to support any other outcome for this case, but Cormoran is determined to find out the truth. Will he be surprised by who the killer is or will he find out quickly? With the help of his temporary assistant Robin, the case with all it's secrets will reveal the true killer.
I was not a very big fan of Harry Potter so I was excited when J.K. Rowling decided to try other writing. I'm glad she chose a pseudonym, because I don't think I would have read the books as J.K. Rowling.
When I first started listening to this book, I got quite confused. Each section starts with a Latin phrase. I had to be sure I had the right book. But I will say I was drawn in from the very beginning.
Everyone knows who Lula Landry is and everyone was affected by her death. Her brother doesn't believe she would have committed suicide even though she has serious depression. Her friends don't think she would have done it either. But if she didn't jump from her balcony and no one saw anyone else with her, then what happened? Cormoran interviews everyone who was involved with Lula and some of them twice. He enlists the help of his temporary assistant Robin, who proves to be quite useful.
I think from the beginning Cormoran had an idea of who the killer was. There are little things that happen throughout the story that give you that idea when it's all said and done. I'm very interested to know what is going to happen next in Cormoran's life and what other adventures he and Robin will find themselves on.
I was not a very big fan of Harry Potter so I was excited when J.K. Rowling decided to try other writing. I'm glad she chose a pseudonym, because I don't think I would have read the books as J.K. Rowling.
When I first started listening to this book, I got quite confused. Each section starts with a Latin phrase. I had to be sure I had the right book. But I will say I was drawn in from the very beginning.
Everyone knows who Lula Landry is and everyone was affected by her death. Her brother doesn't believe she would have committed suicide even though she has serious depression. Her friends don't think she would have done it either. But if she didn't jump from her balcony and no one saw anyone else with her, then what happened? Cormoran interviews everyone who was involved with Lula and some of them twice. He enlists the help of his temporary assistant Robin, who proves to be quite useful.
I think from the beginning Cormoran had an idea of who the killer was. There are little things that happen throughout the story that give you that idea when it's all said and done. I'm very interested to know what is going to happen next in Cormoran's life and what other adventures he and Robin will find themselves on.
Rikki Hammond (33 KP) rated King of Tokyo in Tabletop Games
Jun 4, 2019
Easy to teach (2 more)
Great at all player counts
Looks visually great
Games are over far too quickly sometimes (1 more)
Some cards are far too overpowered
Yahtzee With Monsters
Please note, this review is for the first edition of the game.
King of Tokyo is one of the first games I bought for myself, when I got back into board gaming years ago, and it's definitely a fantastic light filler game, that will appeal to all ages.
Players choose a monster, and then take it in turns rolling six custom dice up to three times (like Yahtzee,) to either attack other players, heal their own health, gain 1,2 or 3 victory points, or collect energy.
Once one player attacks another, they enter Tokyo, and gain an extra victory point for each turn they are in there, however, everyone else can attack you, and you can't heal, but your attacks hurt everyone else to counteract this. You can decide to exit Tokyo, which will put the last player who attacked you in there instead.
Energy is used to buy special cards that help you out in one way or another. This can be anything from allowing you to roll an additional die, to giving you an extra life if you are destroyed. Each card has a different energy cost to buy them, and generally the better cards cost more, although some cards cost very little, but can be very overpowered, which can throw a little imbalance in the game.
A player wins by either destroying all other monsters, or by gaining 20 victory points (although it's usually the former that occurs.)
King of Tokyo is a lot of fun, but sometimes the games can be over far too quickly, especially if someone gets lucky with the attack rolls and card purchases, and sometimes players can be eliminated early on, leaving them to sit and watch as the rest of the game is played.
Overall, I would recommend King of Tokyo to casual gamers, and those starting out in gaming, especially those with kids, as it's light, easy to teach, and fun to play.
King of Tokyo is one of the first games I bought for myself, when I got back into board gaming years ago, and it's definitely a fantastic light filler game, that will appeal to all ages.
Players choose a monster, and then take it in turns rolling six custom dice up to three times (like Yahtzee,) to either attack other players, heal their own health, gain 1,2 or 3 victory points, or collect energy.
Once one player attacks another, they enter Tokyo, and gain an extra victory point for each turn they are in there, however, everyone else can attack you, and you can't heal, but your attacks hurt everyone else to counteract this. You can decide to exit Tokyo, which will put the last player who attacked you in there instead.
Energy is used to buy special cards that help you out in one way or another. This can be anything from allowing you to roll an additional die, to giving you an extra life if you are destroyed. Each card has a different energy cost to buy them, and generally the better cards cost more, although some cards cost very little, but can be very overpowered, which can throw a little imbalance in the game.
A player wins by either destroying all other monsters, or by gaining 20 victory points (although it's usually the former that occurs.)
King of Tokyo is a lot of fun, but sometimes the games can be over far too quickly, especially if someone gets lucky with the attack rolls and card purchases, and sometimes players can be eliminated early on, leaving them to sit and watch as the rest of the game is played.
Overall, I would recommend King of Tokyo to casual gamers, and those starting out in gaming, especially those with kids, as it's light, easy to teach, and fun to play.
