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Intelligence Check (Dungeons and Dating #3)
Intelligence Check (Dungeons and Dating #3)
Katherine McIntyre | 2022 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
10
10.0 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
Mason has a big-time crush on Hunter who they work with. However, when they were drunk and made a pass at Hunter, he turned him down flat out, leaving Mason a little heartbroken but he kept the friendship going. Hunter has an attraction toward Mason and wishes he could tell them what truly beautiful and wholesome human being they are and how they make him feel.


Oh my gosh, this story is beautiful! It's the third instalment of the dungeons and dating series and every story is written with so much feeling and passion that you get an understanding of each character.


Both Mason and Hunter have their different heartaches regarding drugs and addiction, you get a feel of the turmoil both characters have going on inside them and in some instances have my heart breaking for them.


It is a beautiful story that focuses on drug misuse, the loss of loved ones through drug use and the love and friendship people can find in the darkest of times
  
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Merissa (14003 KP) rated Not Okay Cupid in Books

Dec 17, 2018 (Updated May 17, 2023)  
Not Okay Cupid
Not Okay Cupid
Heidi R. Kling | 2016 | Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult (YA)
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
An old tale of cheating boyfriends and betraying best friends gets a revamp in this YA, humour-filled story, starring Felix and Hazel. Written from the perspectives of both of them, you are with Hazel as she learns about her boyfriend, Jay, and her best friend, Kimmy, now becoming a couple even though Jay forgot to mention it to her. School is tough and to find out in the school cafeteria is a hard one. Felix isn't prepared to let Hazel deal with it by herself, so he puts a plan in motion.

Well-written, humorous and with plenty of opportunities for reflection and passion, this story is light and thoroughly enjoyable. Movie references from the '80s abound, including one from The Princess Bride! I would have no hesitation in recommending this.

* 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!
Jan 11, 2016
  
Noah (2014)
Noah (2014)
2014 | Action, Adventure, Drama
Biblical epics never seem to translate well from paper to the big screen. Mel Gibson’s 2004 misfire, The Passion of the Christ, showed just how difficult it was to turn promising source material into silver screen gold.

Now, 10 years on from that, Black Swan director Darren Aronofsky breathes new life into the biblical genre with his take on the classic ‘Noah’ tale. But can his sixth attempt behind the camera reverse the ailing genre’s fortunes?

Unfortunately, the answer is no. From lacklustre special effects to dreadful acting, Aronofsky’s biblical epic fails from start to finish, with only a few key scenes lifting it above The Passion of the Christ.

Noah follows the story of the titular hero played by Russell Crowe as he sets out on a mission given to him by the ‘Creator’ to rid the world of its evil and to start afresh. Jennifer Connelly plays Noah’s wife Naameh and Ray Winstone portrays his arch nemesis, Tubal-cain.

The story is like the tale we all know, but on steroids. Gone is the subtlety of the bibleNoah-poster version and in its place is a stark environmental message as Noah tells his family and those around him that humans have destroyed the planet and that we ourselves, must be destroyed. From stone angels sent to watch over the human race, to the addition of numerous characters, Noah rids the story of its depth in favour of poor special effects and anti-climatic battles. It’s a real shame as Aronofsky has proven himself to be utterly talented behind the lens.

The performances are also well-below what we expect from such gifted actors. Emma Watson’s take of Ila, Noah’s daughter-in-law is laughable at best; a world away from the talent we saw towards the end of the Harry Potter series. Jennifer Connelly is outstandingly poor and Russell Crowe seems to be on auto-pilot as he spouts meaningless drivel. Only Anthony Hopkins leaves his fine reputation in tact as Methuselah, though he is in the film for less than 15 minutes.

Moreover, the best and most memorable part from the bible story, the animals, is completely misguided. Not only are they playing second fiddle to the ridiculous rivalry between Noah and Ray Winstone’s idiotic villain, they are rendered in such poor CGI, you never truly believe that they are there. The elephants and snakes in particular are very shoddy.

Thankfully all is not lost. Being a Darren Aronofsky film, Noah is a beautifully shot film. The cinematography is outstanding with stunning vistas of a huge variety of landscapes and the inclusion of an exciting Genesis featurette in the latter half of the picture are real highlights.

At 138 minutes Noah is a true bum-number and there’ll be lots of shuffling about in your seat as you struggle to digest each and every part of information the film shoves down your throat.

Unfortunately, a promising marketing campaign and some good trailers mask a film which never rises above average. The special effects really needed much more work and the acting is very poor. Only a few stand-out scenes stop it from falling below The Passion of the Christ as another biblical turkey.

https://moviemetropolis.net/2014/04/14/noah-review/
  
AH
A Hope Undaunted (Winds of Change, #1)
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
*This review is from my blog and originally published in 2010*

Okay. Let me start this review with SHAME ON ME! Why? Because, sweet saints, I haven’t ever read a Julie Lessman novel until this one and I most definitely should have been reading her books already! She is absolutely FANTABULOUS! The power that Julie has over her readers when they open the first page is mind-blowingly INCREDIBLE!

In A Hope Undaunted, Julie combines tenderness and passion with wit and God’s love, to create a romance story set in the 1920’s that will carry you away and leave you utterly breathless. Katie O’Connor was such an amazing young woman….thinking she had her life all planned out for herself. That is until she encounters a very handsome “soda jerk” by the name of Luke. Luke “Cluny” McGee, the boy she hated as a child, has been chiseled into a stunningly remarkable character. (Julie, can you send him my way, please?!) So, that leaves Katie with a choice….to follow HER hopes and choices, or God’s hopes and choices for her life. A beautifully created plot line!

For years, I’ve collected The Queen of Christian Fiction, Karen Kingsbury’s books, including true crime novels she wrote prior to her Christian work, and the ones that are under her pen name, but after reading this breathtaking, passionate story of a hope undaunted and a love that’s pure, Julie Lessman has earned a spot on my favorite authors list at the very top, pushing Karen Kingsbury down one. It takes an absolutely fantastic author to do that because I’ve held Karen Kingsbury at the top of my list for years! I’m still in awe and savoring this unforgettable story and it’s characters!

So, what you waiting for?! Don’t be a ninny like myself , who waited TOO long to read her work. GO GET A COPY OF A HOPE UNDAUNTED RIGHT NOW! You will instantly fall in love with the people in this book as they crawl in and take over your heart. Worthy of 1,005 stars, this 5 star book is a MUST read for everyone! Thank you, Julie, for creating a story full of passion, history and a breathtaking plot….it’s what I was needing and looking for! Now, I anxiously await the release of book 2, A Heart Revealed, in the Winds of Change series!
  
Confined Desires (Rehoboth Pact #1)
Confined Desires (Rehoboth Pact #1)
Katherine McIntyre | 2021 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
It's not especially explicit, but it IS full of love and passion
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

Mia splits with her boyfriend and comes home, to Sky since she has nowhere else to go. Then the world comes crazy and there is stay at home order. Can Sky and Mia manage in a tiny one bed flat, in close proximity, and keep their hands off each other?

I have to commend Ms McIntyre. For a while she only wrote male/female pairings. The last book I read of her's was a M/M pairing, and this is a F/F pairing. And she nailed this, as she did Midnight Heist!

Sky has lusted, LOVED Mia since high school. She's not sure she can cope with them being so close for an extended time. Mia is, quite simply, the only woman for her. Mia, in turn has had feelings for Sky for equally as long. She just wasn't exactly sure WHAT she was feeling then, but she is now.

It's great watching them dance around each other for a while, and then fall headlong over that cliff. Only for Sky to mess it all up by keeping her mouth shut. Oh, I wanted to punch her then, I really did, especially as Mia poured her heart out to her!

It's not especially explicit, but it IS full of love and passion. It's emotional too, with Sky dealing with the loss of her sister, and Mia's female parental unit (I don't like her, can you tell?!?)

It is the first 'virus' book I've read, and I expect there to be more, but every one of those books will have to stand against this one, in that regard, cos it is so well done!

The title of the series is the Rehoboth Pact. I loved the reason for that, and that Aubrey evokes said pact when Sky acts stoopid! There is a third friend, Kyle, in the pact. We didn't meet her yet though. Aubs is here though, and she's a lot of fun! So, I'm assuming that the series will be around these three girls. Can't wait to read them!

It's not a compliacted read, just a story of two girls seeing who is right in front of them, and acting on your feelings.

4 solid stars

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
  
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BookInspector (124 KP) rated Appetite in Books

Sep 24, 2020  
Appetite
Appetite
Anita Cassidy | 2018 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The main characters in this book were David, Naomi and Matthew, and the whole story was told from their perspectives. Even though this book was told from these three characters views, there were plenty of other, smaller, but very influential characters as well, which should not be forgotten, because I think they shaped the main characters in this novel. I am talking about David’s mom Kerri, Matthew’s girlfriend Polly and Naomi’s guilty pleasure, Mike. I loved that Anita created this very strong emotional bond between all the characters, I think that allowed to understand the main storytellers and the reasons for their actions way better.

My favourite one in this novel was David. I found his feelings and his experience highly amusing and sometimes shocking, but I was looking forward to his parts in this book. My least favourite one was Naomi. I simply cannot justify her behaviour in any way, and I personally do not respect people like her. (I could rant about her for a very long time, but I will try not to, even though she makes my blood boil.)

One thing that really stands out while reading this novel was passion. I could feel author’s passion about the topics she discussed, seeping through the pages of this book. I think it is very well researched novel, sharing plenty of facts with a reader. I am very grateful that author talks about really important topics, such as bullying, obesity, how parents influence children’s eating habits, and how sugar is taking over our society. Even though this topic has been analyzed in many books, I think that author chose a fresh and original way to highlight these issues.

I really liked the writing style of this book, I think it has a very good focus on detail, and it actually left me more connected to this book. (It is hard to describe the feeling…) The chapters are decent length, and overall it didn’t leave me bored, except for Naomi’s part, they kind of dragged for me. The ending of this book rounded the story nicely and left me quite satisfied. I would like to throw in a disclaimer, that there are some graphic sexual scenes in this book. So to conclude, I had very educational experience, filled with very complex characters and their different needs, feelings and emotions. I do recommend this book, I think it is quite relatable, very realistic and thought-provoking.
  
If you are a dog lover (like me) this is a book you will enjoy reading! So many of the stories & family experiences that are written about in this book were things that mirrored my own life & that with the few dogs I've been blessed enough to have share my experiences. I laughed & cried at the tales & truly found myself drawn into the adventures & mishaps throughout.
Of course with that being said this is also a book that will help people who aren't dog lovers better understand those of us who are...not an easy thing to do by any means. It allows you a glimpse into the passion, love, & heartache that a dog brings into your life. The emotions & stories are well told.
Being a 4th grade teacher, I loved the fact that Samantha Walsh (Kevin's 10 year old daughter) was involved in bringing this book to life. She has such a great storytelling voice. I plan to read a few pieces to my class to show them that writing (& reading for that matter) are real & important things to them.
Well done Walsh family!!!