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Witch’s Sorrow ( Alice Skye book 1)
Witch’s Sorrow ( Alice Skye book 1)
Taylor Aston White | 2022 | Fiction & Poetry
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
163 of 230
Kindle
Witch’s Sorrow ( Alice Skye book 1)
By Taylor Aston White
⭐️⭐️⭐️

An amateur witch. A dark past. A fierce deceit.

Paladin Agent Alice Skye didn’t think much of the contract forced upon her by Rexley Wild, Alpha of one of the largest packs in Europe.

He hired her for one job.

Find the missing wolf.

Unfortunately for Alice, she might already be too late.

She's in way over her head, an inexperienced witch who has to use all her instincts to help the secretive and detached Alpha find his missing pack mate. But it isn’t long before she realises something’s not quite right. It's not simply a missing person, it was something a lot closer to home, something that reignites nightmares that make her question her own, horrific past.

Alice is in a race against time that forces her to face against vampires, daemons and anything that gets in the way, for she only has one thing to do, find the wolf before he turns up like the others.

Dead.

I liked it. The concept was good and the characters were good except maybe Alice could possibly get annoying at times. There were a few things that were over explained that really didn’t need it and then other bits that seemed a little rushed. I enjoyed that it was set in London although sometimes it felt as though it was trying to hard to be American set. It was an interesting read for sure.
  
Because of Him (Fortunate, #1)
Because of Him (Fortunate, #1)
Jessica Roe | 2014 | Contemporary, Romance
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I was drawn into this pretty much from the first page. Blair is a bit of a contradiction in the fact she looks like trouble but is actually really nice, if a little naughty and playful at times. It starts with her stealing a parking space from someone in a diner parking lot and buys two pieces of pie, one for herself, one as an apology for the guy whose space she took. They argue/chat for a while and you can see they have an instant connection/attraction which ends up leading to a steamy make out session in the guys car. They part ways and Blair continues on to her dads house but it turns out that the guy she made out with lives across the road from her new home with his gran.

I really liked this. I wasn't sure what to expect with it being a-new-to-me-author but God, is it good! I was so emotionally invested in these two.

I cried like a baby towards the end with the Jemma incident. How could everyone turn on her like that? She'd not been any trouble, she'd never shown any interest in drugs and they're all ready to throw her out and wash their hands of her apart from Granny Yo. And then Granny Yo... *sniffles*

I'm glad these two got their HEA and I'm interested to see what happens in the rest of the series.
  
Polar (2019)
Polar (2019)
2019 | Action, Crime
Brutal shoot 'em up violence throughout, kinda has that old school "spaghetti western" feel to it, with the silent protagonist, Vanessa Hudgens performance is really good too (0 more)
I hated the villian, but I guess thats the point, right? I mean if they can make you feel something like that you know they've done a good job with creating that villian/badguy (0 more)
The Black Kaiser - 8/10
Polar is a 2019 neo-noir/action movie based on the Dark Horse Comics, webcomic series Polar: Came From The Cold, written by Victor Santos. It is directed by Jonas Akerlund and written by Jayson Rothwell. Starring Mads Mikkelsen, Vanessa Hudgens, Katheryn Winnick, and Matt Lucas.


Duncan Vizla, a.k.a. "the Black Kaiser" (Mads Mikkelsen), is an assassin for the Damocles corporation. It is company policy that all assassins retire at age 50. He checks with a doctor about his health which is good and his accountant about his wealth; which having made the maximum pension fund contributions as possible, has him set for life. In 14 days, on his 50th birthday, he'll be entitled to a payout of $8 million dollars. Mr. Blut (Matt Lucas), has Vivian (Katheryn Winnick), Duncan's handler, contact him for one last mission. Unbeknownst to Duncan this is a plan to have him killed to avoid paying out his pension.


This me was awesome despite what critics say. I read a lot of bad comments talking about it being abhorrent and vulgar. It is rated TV-MA and not for kids and it is very adult. Plus it is a movie about assassins, people who kill for money, so what do you expect. I was surprised how much I liked the Black Kaiser character, since he didn't speak much during the film. Almost felt like a spaghetti-western in some ways, with the silent gunslinger aspect to it. I thought the film was very well done when it came to the acting, the action, and the plot. I'm sure that there are points to what the critics have said but the movie was too awesome for me to care. One thing, the main bad guy i didn't much care for. He did get me to not like him and with acting that's harder than getting people to like you. Also I enjoyed the group of assassins who are employed with the Damocles corporation, for the most part they were pretty interesting and diverse and added something extra to the film. And I was not prepared for Vanessa Hudgen's character but she had a surprising role and did very well too. I give this movie a 8/10.
  
The Jack's Heart
The Jack's Heart
Demi Vice | 2018
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
So we meet Jack not long before he gets released from prison after doing a stint of seven years for a crime he didn't commit. He's asked by his cell-mate of the last three years to deliver a letter to his sister who it turns out lives near where he grew up as a kid. Upon sight, they have an instant attraction and things get very heated.

I'll be honest, I wasn't sure about Jack at the start. He seemed very cocky, almost intimidating in those first few chapters. But he did grow on me, quite a lot in fact. He had lines he wouldn't cross like having sex with Ahri while she was drunk. I liked that. I liked how protective he was of her. One quote summed him up pretty well:
Jack had the whole, "don't judge a book by its cover," down to an art form. There were layers to him no one ever expected, and they were addicting.

Ahrianna was a fighter. She'd had a tough childhood but was striving to do better, be better. She worked two jobs, barely getting any sleep, and was doing an online course so she could get her dream job in management--where the money was.

The sex scenes were a little too dirty for me. We had anal play and very filthy dirty talk (which I'm not the biggest fan of. I don't mind the odd bit but this was very in-your-face-description dirty talk) and I skipped a few paragraphs.

As for the romance in this, it was nice. Two really damaged people coming together and the attraction being so sudden that the romance just evolved naturally. They were...I don't know how to describe it. So alike in so many ways but complimented each other in others. They were a really great couple.

With those first few scenes and the hot sex I expected this to be more erotica than romance but it wasn't like that at all. Definitely more of a romance.

I've just finished it and seen that Ceifador, a character from Jack's past is the next book and with that last scene in the prison I'm wondering if that guy might be him? I may have to read it and find out.

If you like steamy contemporary romances with good-hearted bad boys and feisty female characters then you should give this a try.
  
Die Hard: With a Vengeance (1995)
Die Hard: With a Vengeance (1995)
1995 | Action, Mystery
John McClane, permanently hungover and on suspension, is called back to work when a terrorist blows up a building and requests his presence for a few minor tasks.

I love McClane's banter in this one, he's really upped his game. Which is apt as Simon is fond of his games.

Some incredible stunt driving... I'm not sure how that taxi managed to sail out into traffic and survive, but it was impressive. Then they find another car to drive off the side of a bridge... that yet again survives?! It's a solid year for car manufacture.

I think the reason I liked this one the most for so long is that John and Zeus make a great double act. Zeus is logical and sarcastic while John is a little bit gung-ho and... well, also sarcastic.

Cue me yelling at the screen... Fill the 3 and pour it into the 5. Fill the 3 again and pour it into the 5. You'll have 1 left in the 3. Empty the 5 and pour the 1 from the 3 into it. Fill the 3 again and pour it into the 5... you now have 4.

My only dislike of this film is that you can't play vest roulette. It stays particularly white most of the way through. Oh sorry, and the terrible effects they use for the water in the tunnel, but I do love that Zeus manages to see McClane pop out of the access port in the spout of water.



I brought the blu-ray box set to replace my aging DVDs... and that is how I discovered there is an alternative ending to the film. I can't say I'm a fan of it. It takes McClane's character through the film, opens a window and throws it all out. It turns him into a rather cruel version of himself, and there would have been no coming back from that.
  
The Honeymoon
The Honeymoon
Tina Seskis | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry, Philosophy, Psychology & Social Sciences
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
One thing I noticed now, after reading the book, that the blurb is written very creatively, and to find out why you will need to read the book.

The main character in this novel was Jemma. She is a girl, living in London and looking for love. With help of her friend, she finds a boyfriend, and the relationship starts. Jemma gets married and goes on a dream honeymoon, one night, while Jemma gets completely drunk, her husband disappears, and nobody can find him on this little island. The thing is, Jemma can’t remember what happened that night.

This novel is filled with very amusing and unique characters. I really liked their personalities, all except for Jemma. I did not like her decisions, and her personality was not pleasant to me. However, I loved the way Seskis used her in this novel, it was brilliant. I loved the way she manipulated Jemma’s character, in order to create suspense and different moods in the book. The story was told from different perspectives, and that made the book more enjoyable, as I sometimes got tired of Jemma’s “Where is my husband gone?”.

The narrative of this book was very interestingly designed. The quite boring investigation was backed up by a story from Jemma’s past, making the whole story more appealing. This book is divided into four parts, and every part finished with unexpected, course-changing turns and twists, which left me pleasantly baffled. Moreover, every part had a different structure to it, making this novel better with every page.
For the writing style of Tina Seskis, I can give nothing less than fantastic. She is an incredibly gifted writer, who knows, how to keep the reader hooked and interested. I strongly believe that she can make any book a gem to the readers. Seskis made the chapters short and to the point, which kept me glued to this book, I was “eating” chapters one after another, not because I wanted to, it was because I needed to.

Here I have a confession to make, while I was checking how many chapters there were in the book (85 in total), I accidentally saw, what I shouldn’t (it was hard to miss it…). The ending of this novel was absolutely shocking and unexpected, and I loved that the author allowed the characters involved to tell it from their perspectives. So, to conclude, there were some things which didn’t work for me, but overall, I strongly recommend this book to everyone, you simply need to experience this wonderful way, through which Tina Seskis is sharing this story, it is unique, clever and masterful, and I will be reading her work in the future for sure.
  
Almost Never
Almost Never
Amy Lamont | 2018
4
4.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This starts with what I guess is a prologue where we see Harper joining Declan at her first campus party. Things don't go as she was hoping when she sees her high-school bully whispering and pointing in her direction and the rumours she's spreading get back to Declan. Fast forward two years and neither has spoken to the other, though they keep secretly checking on the other, and only come together again when they see a mutual opportunity: Harper will help him pass a class and Declan will help her be noticed by her professor. Their attraction blooms once more as they spend time together again

I'll admit the cover pulled me in and when I got this, it was free.

I liked this initially but I started to lose interest about the 40% mark. It just wasn't gelling with me, I found the style a little awkward at times and Harpers attitude rubbed me the wrong way. She thought the worst of everyone and everything. It's like she didn't see anything as a bright spot, it was all down and out. One quote seemed fitting:

"I guess overreacting is my thing lately."

How about all the time?! Maybe some of it was warranted but come one! I got very fed up with her look on life. So much so that I totally lost interest in this one. I didn't read the sex scene as I didn't really care about the characters or the storyline, but I wanted to finish it.

And I did. Finally.

I'm glad Harper finally got a backbone, dealing with her aunt and getting into that much longed for medical program. And I'm glad Declan stood up to his dad. Other than that, I didn't care about the rest.

This didn't work for me at all and I'm not sure if I'll be reading more books by this author.
  
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Sarah (7800 KP) rated Cujo in Books

Oct 14, 2018  
Cujo
Cujo
Stephen King | 1981 | Fiction & Poetry, Horror, Thriller
8
7.9 (50 Ratings)
Book Rating
Poor Cujo...
I’m sure I’m not the only one who read this book and felt tremendously sad and sorry for Cujo. A loving, yet huge, dog who just gets himself into the wrong place at the wrong time and then winds up on a murderous rabies fuelled killing spree.

What I really liked about this book is that King also tells some of it from Cujo’s point of view in addition to the human characters, it makes for a refreshing change and a story that isn’t all about the horror (even if there is a lot of horror in here). As with all King novels, it’s wonderfully written with some well thought out characters. The main issue is that there’s only so much you can throw into a book about a rabid dog, and it isn’t something that can be drawn out indefinitely and you can tell that at just over 300 pages, the story is really being stretched. But then the ending arrives far too quickly and is over in the space of a few pages. It’s a typically good King novel and definitely worth a read, just not one of his usual epic stories.
  
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Andy K (10823 KP) rated Us (2019) in Movies

Sep 21, 2019  
Us (2019)
Us (2019)
2019 | Horror, Thriller
I wish I would've liked it more.
A married couple decide to take a vacation at a beach house. Their relaxation bliss is soon interrupted by four strangers who actually turn out to be evil counterparts or "doppelgangers" of the family who have come to torment them.

Each counterpart goes after their "normal" version in various ways including on the used power boat they had just purchased or having a conversation while sitting in their living room. Not known is why or who they are and what are their intentions. They family tried to take refuge at their neighbors home only to discover they met with their demise courtesy of their own set of demons hunting them.

The family eventually reunites and tried to escape, but are pursued. Several confrontations ensue at the beach where some carnage is executed by the demons and the family against each other.

Then the twist, kind of. A scene at the start of the film when the mother had a traumatic experience as a child getting separated from her family and finding her way into a hall of mirrors and seeing her other self as a child is explained. Truths you thought were truths end of being a lie or a different situation than you originally thought.

In trying to figure out a type for this film it is rather difficult. It is not particularly scary or gory. I suppose suspense/thriller would suit it best, but I'm not sure that is what writer/director Jordan Peele was going for. I liked the visuals, the acting, the musical score and some of the ideas, but not really the execution or the screenplay.

It had some jokes like the "Home Alone" reference and other scenes where the parents and children are together making fun of each other which were just not funny and took away from the tension.

My main problem with the script was the fact that the characters' actions were mostly not appropriate. No one seemed to be bothered by the fact that these other human/non humans existed and when family members, even children, begin performing heinous actions, they don't even seem to blink an eye. They also have to write in the scene where they try and call the police and they are unavailable.

I feel like there was a really great film in there somewhere, they just didn't get it quite right. The middle section dragged somewhat and the ending was interesting but didn't hold water the more you thought about it. I have no issue with a vague ending as long as it leaves you thinking and drawing your own conclusions; however, this film was vague not in a good way I think just due to a mediocre screenplay or maybe bad editing.

Peele certainly had his own big shoes t fill after getting a Best Picture nomination for his first film, Get Out. The box office and critical acclaim were paramount on that one.

Hopefully, he will rebound from this film and create something truly unique and interesting for his next effort. We certainly need more great horror writer/directors out there!

  
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Merissa (12894 KP) rated Claw of Exile (Exiled #1) in Books

Mar 15, 2021 (Updated Aug 2, 2023)  
Claw of Exile (Exiled #1)
Claw of Exile (Exiled #1)
J.K. Jones | 2021 | LGBTQ+, Paranormal, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
CLAW OF EXILE is the first book in the Exiled series and tells the story of Ryu and Micah. Ryu is an Omega, captured from a warring clan, and given as a slave. The only person who loves and believes in him is his mistress. Even Micah, the heir apparent Alpha, pretends he doesn't know him when people are around.

The story starts off in the present, returns to the past, comes back to the present, and retreats to the past once more. Not only that, but the tense of the story changes from present to past, sometimes within the same sentence. This makes for a slightly disjointed read. I'm not sure if I read an unedited ARC or not, but there were also quite a few spelling mistakes, words used in error, or missed out completely. Amazingly enough, this did not detract away from the story itself. It's just something I feel should be mentioned.

Of the characters, the story is told from Ryu's perspective, and you never really find out Micah's motives or understandings from times gone by. I would have liked to have known what happened, especially when it had such a major impact on Ryu. Micah was also more difficult to like, which is not surprising, considering the circumstances. There are characters to like and loathe that make up this novel, and I would like to find out more about them.

All in all, this was a great story with some obvious events, and some red-herring twists and turns. It does finish on a cliffhanger so be prepared! This is definitely a series I would like to continue.

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

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Mar 15, 2021