
Neon's Nerd Nexus (360 KP) rated Joker (2019) in Movies
Oct 5, 2019 (Updated Oct 5, 2019)

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Debbiereadsbook (1487 KP) rated Rumble of the Crumble (The Rhubarb Effect #7) in Books
Feb 6, 2025
This is the FINAL book in this series, and you really should read the other 6 books before this one. They are a lot of fun, but there is an ongoing story arc that you need to follow.
Leo is a lion, and an Alpha. Butch is the town's sheriff, a rhubarb and also an Alpha. Two Alphas should not be mates, should they?
Ok SO! I have thoroughly enjoyed these books, every one has been a solid 4 star read and I was hoping that this one would give me the answers to the questions my book brain has been throwing around. But in true Sayle fashion, she does not, in fact, give me the answers but I am at least able to voice the questions! I'll come back to those, though!
Leo is scared, he suffered badly at the hands of the monster alpha Amell in their old pride. But Butch will go slow (but not too slow) and wait for Leo, scars and all. Until someone tries to kill the entire pride, babies and all. Leo and Butch know they have to work together to get Amell, and put a stop to his reign of terror, once and for all.
I liked that Butch would wait for Leo, he knows the lion has scars, some not as visible as others, and he knows WHY Leo is so scared, but Butch knows Leo is his mate and Leo just needs time.
I liked that Leo felt safe with Butch. He didn't feel that way with anyone else but his pride. Leo knows Butch will never hurt him, even if they never fully mate after completing the bond that stopped Butch from wilting.
I even liked the way it all went down at the end! I did not see that happening, I thought someone else might be the one to do it.
So, like I said, thoroughly enjoyed these books!
BUT questions! Now, I might have missed the answers to these questions, I'm not sure but I'm sure someone will tell me!
While we know that Leo has scars from Amell, I wanted to know WHY Amell did what he did to Leo, and just WHAT he did, I really did. That's what my book brain was screaming at me, through the whole series, really. However, now I'm typing this up, I'm changing my mind. These books are, for the most part, a lot of fun, with a bit of drama thrown in, and a hella lotta smexy times between the various couples. If we had all the gory details about what Amell did and why, it might have taken these books down a much darker path and I really don't think they needed them. So, I'm gonna let that knowledge go.
As the final book, and due to me letting those questions go,
a full and shiny 5 stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere

Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Cartographers: A Roll Player Tale in Tabletop Games
Sep 13, 2021
Cartographers is a flip-and-write style game where players are competing to gain the queen’s favor and become the royal cartographer. While the main game focuses on finishing with a greater score than your opponent(s) the solo game is more relaxed. The solo player will be competing against their previous scores and comparing against the queen’s title matrix. Each game will be played over four seasons (rounds) and once the year is over the winner or title is claimed. Can you score 30 or more points to become a “Legendary Cartographer?”
To setup, lay out the Queen’s Edict cards that show A, B, C, and D. Shuffle each small deck of like-backed Scoring Cards and randomly place one from each deck underneath the Edict cards. Remove all the enemy Ambush Cards and shuffle one into the main deck of Explore Cards. Set the Season Cards in order: Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. Each player will receive one Map Sheet and a pencil. The game may now begin!
Each Season Card will feature a time threshold number that when met or exceeded will end the season. This corresponds to the time markings on each Explore Card drawn from the deck. For example, Spring allows 8 measures of time before it will switch to Summer. Explore Cards will usually show from 0-2 time measures on it, so seasons could change after four or more cards. At the start of each season, the player will flip an Explore Card to reveal which type of map element is requested and of which shape. The map elements are Forest, Farm, Water, Village, Mountain, and Monster. The shapes shown on the cards are reminiscent of Tetris-style shapes and also some others as well.
Once a card has been revealed, the player now will draw on their sheet the shape (or one of the shapes if more than one are shown) and fill it in with the matching symbol for map element type. If during this phase of the round the player surrounds the four sides of a pre-printed Mountain square they will score one coin and mark it at the bottom of their Map Sheet.
Should a Ruins card be revealed the player will flip another card to reveal the next card in line. Whatever shape and element is shown on the card AFTER the Ruins card will be used, with a twist. The shape shown on this card will now be required to encompass one of the pre-printed Ruins squares on the Map Sheet. If there are no legal spaces to place these shapes (or any shape on future cards) the player will be allowed to place a single 1×1 square on their Map Sheet anywhere they wish.
Should an enemy Ambush card be revealed the player will check which corner of the map the ambush takes place and will draw the provided monster shape in the closest area to the corner as possible. These are awarded negative points at the end of the seasons and can make large impacts on final scores.
After the elements have been drawn on the Map Sheet the player will check if the season ends. The season will end if the total number of revealed cards’ time measures equal or exceed the time printed on the Season Card (again, for example, Spring lasts 8 time). If not, then the player resumes another card reveal. If the time threshold has been met or exceeded then the player will score for the season by referencing the Scoring Cards that were placed under the Edicts at setup. For Spring the player scores Edict Cards A and B. Mark the score in the space provided at the bottom of the Scoring Sheet and flip the Season Card to the next season to begin a new round.
Play continues in this fashion until all four seasons have been played. At the end of the fourth season the game ends and the player will tally up their score to compare against the queen’s title matrix at the back of the rulebook. Not to brag, but my first game scored over 30 points, so I began this journey as a Legendary Cartographer.
Components. This game is 100 double-sided Map Sheets, four golf pencils, and a bunch of cards. The sheets and pencils are just fine, and the cards are good quality. What I really enjoy about the components is that this is “A Roll Player Tale,” meaning that many of the components and art hearken back to the original Roll Player game. As I love Roll Player’s art style, I also love that of Cartographers. There isn’t a ton of art in the game, more of graphic design, the art that IS provided is stellar Roll Player fare. I have no complaints about the components here except my wife thinks the pencil erasers could be better.
I skipped backing this one on Kickstarter and have only recently come to acquire it. I am definitely kicking myself in the rear for that decision because this is an excellent game. Obviously, anything that is enjoyable solo AND multiplayer is a huge boon (my wife scored it a 5!), and being able to play it multiple times in a row is a benefit as well.
We both love the decision-making in Cartographers, and when we first played together I had to shield my map sheet from my wife because she was copying! SHE was copying ME! She ended up handing me my booty in that game (of course) but we both had a great time plotting out our map elements. Determining where and which direction a shape should be placed can certainly be frustrating, but seeing your well-laid plans come to life is very rewarding. I am definitely seeing myself needing to download and print off more map sheets in the future because I have a feeling I am going to be playing the mess out of this one.
If you are looking for something special for your collection, check out Cartographers. If you already enjoy Roll Player, this will feel homey to you while offering a completely different style of game. My wife and I love it, and I am not sure I know anyone who would turn their nose up at it. Once we get into the Post-COVID era I plan to play this all the time at game nights.

Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Providence: A Novel in Books
Mar 10, 2019
Well, this was an interesting one and nothing like what I expected. Obviously Kepnes is well-known for her novel, You, which is a story of love and obsession gone wrong. Supposedly many reviewers felt that this new book was a far twist from YOU, but I couldn't help but feel that parts of it reminded me of that novel, due to some of Jon's obsession and focus on Chloe. Still, I can understand that feeling, as PROVIDENCE also has a bit of an almost paranormal science fiction twist to it. That is a change. It requires a little suspension of disbelief, but once you go with it, the book is incredibly addictive and hard to put down. I read it in one day while on vacation, completely addicted to the strange and fascinating plot.
There's no denying that Kepnes can write, and you become immersed in her characters. I was intrigued by Jon and a bit by Chloe as well. I didn't adore them, but they were multi-faceted, and their dilemma unique. I'll admit that I didn't even know that Lovecraft--the author on whom Jon's situation is based--was real, so obviously all of those references went right over my head. Ha! I might have gotten into that scenario more if I knew the author, but the whole "turned you into a monster--or did I?" concept isn't exactly difficult to follow, and it's an interesting idea.
The novel is told from the points of view of Jon, Chloe, and a detective named Eggs. I enjoyed Eggs' perspective; he added a much-needed third viewpoint to the tale. Eggs is tracking Jon, but we also get a nuanced look at his relationship with his wife.
In the end, this is a weirdly fascinating novel that is hard to describe. I'm glad I read it, as I can't imagine not reading any of Kepnes' books, truly. It's a story of dysfunctional and potentially misguided love, but I enjoyed how you could feel Jon and Chloe's need for one another stretching and pulling across the pages. Kepnes is just so good at obsession and oddity (and love) that I couldn't stop reading. I enjoyed this one.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netgalley/Librarything in return for an unbiased review (thank you!).

Sassy Brit (97 KP) rated The Duchess Deal in Books
Jun 6, 2019
^^ But Emma is no fool, and insists on some rules of her own. She can see that beneath the scars, bad temper and his awfully stubborn ways, he’s quite simply just a lonely man needing companionship, and no different to her. Surely beauty is only skin deep and there’s much more to him than outward appearances.
^^ Oh, what a lovely story this is. Yes, on the surface this is what I’d call a sweet romance; a poor girl meets rich Duke love story. But deep down, below the surface of the title and cover, I uncovered some hidden gems. It’s a story of two lost souls trying to make the best of what they feel they have left to offer.
^^ The Duke is a great character, and yes, he does have his faults, and I’m not talking his appearance, but can he really be blamed after what he’s been through? The war has left the Duke scarred, physically and mentally. He may be a hero on the battlefield, but with his scars on show he’s found himself to be rather intimidating to others; children scream, dogs howl, honestly, if no one can bear to look at him, how is he ever going to produce an heir?
^^ Then we meet Emma, wise before her years, and not a woman to be messed around. But if that’s so, why would Emma choose to go into a loveless marriage with a man who only wants her for an heir? He’s already made it totally clear they’ll never have to sleep in the same bed ever again after their child is born. What on earth could possibly be in it for her? Well, maybe deep down, Emma’s not so confident after all. Perhaps, this wealthy Duke may be her last chance to have a child, and gain some security into her life. After all, if her father said “No decent man would ever want you!” as he banished her from their house, then maybe there’s some truth to it?
^^ I found myself thinking this is very much a charming Beauty and the Beast story. The way Emma and Ash get to know each other is both realistic and so endearing. This has some cracking dialogue with several laugh out loud moments, which made this such an enjoyable, fast read. I can’t wait to read more like this from Mills and Boon.
^^ Oh and I nearly forgot. It’s got it’s sexy bits in it too, and they are totally fitting and in line with this time period. What did make me smile, (and I thought it was a nice touch) was how, at the beginning of the book, there is a lovely dedication from the author (also once a vicar’s daughter) thanking her dad for being nothing like her character Emma’s father. Tessa Dare also mentions which chapters her father should miss out when reading. Don’t you realise that these pages will be where everyone visits first? ?
Overall: This is a charming Beauty and the Beast story, about love, honesty and mistakingly becoming the Monster of Mayfair! (Hilarious).