Search

Search only in certain items:

Lying Beside You
Lying Beside You
Michael Robotham | 2022 | Crime, Fiction & Poetry, Mystery, Thriller
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Lying Beside You is the third book in the Cyrus Haven series - and I’ll admit now that I haven’t read the first two. It didn’t affect my enjoyment though. There are enough hints at the background that I could understand what was going on and who was who.

Cyrus is a busy forensic psychologist and criminal profiler, and to add more to his load, he has a lodger with a distressing background (which is only hinted at, but that’s all you’ll need), and his brother is due to be released from a secure institution. His brother has lived and been treated there since he murdered the rest of his and Cyrus’ family.

I found it fascinating how Cyrus seemed to be able to forgive his brother for his actions - particularly as he’d learnt from his job how his brother wasn’t in control of himself at the time. On the other hand, he seemed hesitant to have him back out in society and in his house. But he’s designed to it. I liked how it showed how complex his feelings towards his brother were.

And what a nice person Cyrus is generally. His lodger has had a very bad experience (which we don’t find out about in this book). He’s patient and tries to help her, and understands that she needs time and space. He’s a great character actually.

You might get from this that I specifically like the characters in books, and that I just see plot as a nice aside. Well, you wouldn’t be wrong. But this has enough exciting plot to keep the crime fiction fans very happy. It all gets quite frenetic towards the end, and I had no idea who the perpetrator was up to the big reveal.

It’s a great book - many thanks to the Pigeonhole and Michael Robotham.
  
Dead Set (Aspen Falls #2)
Dead Set (Aspen Falls #2)
Melissa Pearl, Anna Cruise | 2018 | Contemporary, Mystery, Romance
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Dead Set is the second book in the Aspen Falls series, and we reunite with Lucas, Blaine's friend who is no longer on the Police Force that we met in book one. I like Lucas, but he is a slob where paperwork is concerned. His office makes me cringe, so I was thankful when Alaina got stuck in. They come to an agreement that she will help Lucas if he helps her. Her brother has died, and it has been ruled a suicide. Alaina can't accept that, although that may be her guilt speaking. It seems straightforward to begin with, but it does become apparent that not all is as it seems. And I really did feel for Noah!

It was nice to see the connection between Lucas and Alaina grow as they worked together to find out the mystery behind Noah's death. It is a slow-burn romance, rather than insta-lust, but I think it works here. After all, if someone is working through the grief of a deceased family member, it would be rather strange to fall straight into bed with the P.I. involved.

This book had no editing or grammatical errors that spoilt my reading, and the storyline was easy to follow, even with all the mystery. We have Blaine and Rosie having small cameos in here, so it was nice to see that things are still going well for them. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I hope we will see them in future books so we know how they get along. I would recommend this book.

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Apr 20, 2018
  
Where There's a Will (Dads & Adages #1)
Where There's a Will (Dads & Adages #1)
Anna Sparrows | 2023 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
WHERE THERE'S A WILL is the first book in the Dads & Adages series, and it's definitely one I'll be reading more in. It is also the first book by this author I have read.

This deals with some heavy subjects, so please take note of the trigger warnings. For myself, I thought they were incredibly well handled, providing depth and detail to the story.

Con is thirty-two, with a sister, Daisy, who is twenty-two and pregnant when we first meet them. Con is in a relationship but the cracks are showing and you know it won't last. Will is his sexy silver fox fireman neighbour who lives upstairs. Tragedy strikes early on and Daisy is killed, leaving Con in charge of her newborn baby.

Considering the topics, I found this book to be fairly low-angst. If Con and Will have a problem, they talk it through. Of course, this doesn't work out in every situation, but it was nice to see it happen. What was also nice was the support system both Con and Will had, both together and separately. Having Will's adult sons in here in a supportive role, rather than antagonistic, made it a great read.

If I had anything negative to say, it would be that I was left wondering about Daisy's accident. Why did she get in the car? Was it to see Con? What happened? Small things, I know.

Full of real-life problems with no magic answers, I was completely involved with this story. Definitely 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!
Aug 3, 2023
  
T(
Toma (The Dark Shadows #2)
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I received an eARC in exchange for an honest review. I made no guarantee of a favorable review and the opinions expressed here are unbiased and my own.

I loved this book just as much as I loved the first one. Toma is exactly as I envisioned him to be and so much more. Thanks to the author's creative writing style you are able to feel every single emotion that Anika and Toma experience. I even found myself calling Toma not so many nice names because though he is trying to do the right thing at times he also is being a jerk. Be forewarned that once you start reading this book you won't want to put it down and I say this because I stayed up late to finish.

I cannot wait to read the next installment.
  
40x40

Dr Dystopian (526 KP) rated Netflix in Apps

Jan 8, 2018 (Updated Jan 8, 2018)  
Netflix
Netflix
Entertainment, Lifestyle
8
8.7 (589 Ratings)
App Rating
Wide variety of content (3 more)
Netflix original content
Replacement of services like sky
Ease of use
Price increases especially for 4k content (1 more)
Can have a lot of lower quality content at times
Best on demand service in the UK
A great app that is a perfect substitution for main stream cable or satellite services that isgreat for watching what you want when you want and is a fraction of the price without being limited to a single location.

Tonnes to choose from and plenty of Netflix original content that keeps getting better and better.


The only negatives are that there have been some price rises and that in order to have 4k services you have to take the top package which is designed for 4 concurrent users, a 2 user 4k service would have been a nice option.
  
The Walking Dead: 400 Days
The Walking Dead: 400 Days
2013 | Role-Playing
Writing (1 more)
Stories
Nice filler between Seasons 1 and 2
400 Days is a short game that tells us about the Zombie Armageddon from five different viewpoints. I had no idea what was going on when the game started, just that I needed to choose who I was going to be. I didn't realize that I was going to be playing ALL FIVE of the characters, thus I played them out of (chronological) order.
Chronological order:
Vince - Day 2
Wyatt - Day 41
Russell - Day 184
Bonnie - Day 220
Shel - Day 236

Although you can play them in any order you wish, I recommend doing them in time-order since their stories can overlap. I did not feel a deep connection to these five characters, but I am amazed by Telltale's ability to evoke emotion even thought being half the length of an episode.
  
Invincible, Vol 2: Eight Is Enough
Invincible, Vol 2: Eight Is Enough
Robert Kirkman, Cory Walker (Art) | 2004 | Comics & Graphic Novels
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
This story continues to impress me; with some great humor, well paced action, and some genuine mystery added in for good measure, this volume is definitely all about later plots. While the first volume, Family Matters, set up the core characters for Invincible, this volume is clearly set up as starting points for future story lines, so while it doesn't actually seem like much happens here, it just makes me want to continue reading so I can see how all these plot threads play out. Cory Walker's art and Bill Crabtree's colors are top notch again; I really like the minimal line art and coloring. The inclusion of different artists working on the introduction of additional characters to the book was a nice touch too, helping each character stand out a little while having the briefest of introductions. On to the third volume!
  
I really enjoyed reading this book. It was hilarious, it made me think, especially when it came to the chapter about hair and the angry black woman myth. It was insightful, funny, interesting and a nice delve into someone else's mind who seems to enjoy TV, celebrities and movies as much as I do. I'm going to be honest, I didn't know who Phoebe Robinson before reading this book and I feel ashamed to say that now, but I definitely know who she is now. She's someone not afraid to speak her "troof" (inside joke), which is something that not everyone is able and willing to do in this day and age. If you're looking for a great read into the mind of a black woman who just happens to also be a comedian, pick up a copy today. You won't be disappointed!!
  
40x40

Sam (8 KP) rated The Lion King: Simbas Mighty Adventure in Video Games

Feb 4, 2019 (Updated Feb 4, 2019)  
The Lion King: Simbas Mighty Adventure
The Lion King: Simbas Mighty Adventure
2000 | Action/Adventure, Platform
Nostalgic (0 more)
Clunky Gameplay (0 more)
Recommended only if you're a diehard fan of The Lion King
I wish I could give this game a higher rating, but it would be a biased review based on my own love for The Lion King. The game follows the first two films. You'll run along classic locations like the elephant graveyard, the outlands, and the gorge. It was nice playing a character I knew and loved, and I enjoyed seeing the levels. Unfortunately, that's about all this game has going for it. It was short, and the controls so clunky it's hard to place your jumps and attacks exactly where they need to be. The voice acting was okay, nothing to write home about. Long story short, if you're a die hard Lion King fan, you'll have fun with this game. Otherwise, give this title a pass.
  
SC
Shakespeare's Christmas (A Lily Bard Mystery, #3)
Charlaine Harris | 1998 | Fiction & Poetry
8
7.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
The weakest entry so far, but still not a bad read. The book takes place out of Shakespeare and in Lily's hometown of Bartley, which it was nice to learn more about her family and other background info. She's still prickly and ill-suited to normal human interactions, but she is trying. I hope by the end of the series, she'll be even closer to fully healing. Lily's relationship with Jack is interesting and weird, but they're still figuring things out, and have similar feelings towards committment it seems. The mystery could have been stretched into a longer book and not wrapped up so quickly, but it didn't bother me very much. In the end, it was a fast and easy story, and a good but not great third book in the Lily Bard series.
<b><i>3.5 stars</i></b>