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Hunter's Desire (Dark Reserves #2)
Hunter's Desire (Dark Reserves #2)
C.S. Joyce | 2019 | Erotica, LGBTQ+, Romance
10
10.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
bloody LOVED this!
Independent reviewer for Gay Romance Reviews, I was gifted my copy of this book.

Okay then!

Daddy kink has been very hit and miss for me, some okay, some good, but not ever so many being so bloody good, but this one??

So Bloody Good!!

Hunter is a Dom, through and through but is disillusioned with the scene and wants to step away. He wants to retire for the police force. He wants. . . . something else. Colsen is a train wreck waiting to happen, after the death of his mother, he is wracked with guilt for not answering the phone and now he has been suspended from work. The weekend in Vegas to celebrate his best friend's up-coming wedding is the last thing he needs but he won't let his friend down. Hunter and Colsen come together, and it's not a matter of if they will butt heads, it's purely a matter of when. Can what happens in Vegas really STAY in Vegas?

I think what makes this one work so well for ME was this was a Daddy/boy relationship, rather than a Daddy/little one. Yes, Hunter buys Lego kits for Colsen, but thats more to focus his mind on something else. And Hunter wasn't really a Daddy before Colsen, either. A Dom, yes, but not a Daddy. There is an age gap, yes, but Hunter is approaching 50 (much to his disgust!) and Colsen is in his 30's. They are both working their way through what they need from the other, even if they hate each other.

And they work through their way spectactularly! Heads butt, yes indeed, and fists almost, but what gets to Colsen the most? Words. Words Hunter says in a certain tone, that pushes all kinds of his buttons he didn't know needed pushing. I LOVED how much Colsen fought Hunter, I really did. It doesn't take much for Hunter to find out why Colson is drinking so much, and once he does, he changes tactics to get Colson. Because Hunter WANTS Colsen like he never wanted before, and Colsen will be his boy, even if only for the weekend in Vegas.

But they can't leave it in Vegas, and it is great reading when Colsen finds out what Hunter did, and when Hunter comes into Colsen's space for the first time, discovering he kept some things going.

I loved it, when they finally, FINALLY, admit those three little words to each other! Very in keeping with these guys, and I loved the little epilogue.

I was to go back and read Dan and Theo's story now, too. It's their wedding they are in Vegas to celebrate. I want to continue with this series too, some interesting characters!

It's been a while since I had a one sitting read, and this one just nailed it, for me.

5 sparkling Vegas stars

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
  
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
2018 | Action, Animation, Sci-Fi
This is a "must see" movie, probably best Spider-man movie since Sam Raimi's first one (0 more)
Hard to adjust to animation in beginning, some minor characters felt unnecessary and underutilized, (0 more)
Amazingly Spectacular Again - 9/10
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is a computer animated superhero film based off of the Spider-Man comics and movie franchise focusing on the Miles Morales/Spider-Man. Produced by Colombia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation, it's set in a shared multiverse, which has alternate universes, called, the "Spider-Verse". The movie was directed by Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman from a screenplay by Phil Lord and Rodney Rothman and story by Phil Lord. Starring Shameik Moore, Jake Johnson, Hailee Steinfield, and Mahershala Ali.


Miles Morales, (Shameik Moore) is a normal regular teenager from Brooklyn, whose parents, police officer Jefferson Davis (Brian Tyree Henry) and nurse Rio Morales (Luna Lauren Velez); have enrolled him in a new school. He visits his estranged Uncle Aaron Davis (Mahershala Ali) to vent and deal with pressures of living up to his parents expectations and making friends at a new school. His Uncle Aaron takes him to blow off steam to an abandoned subway station where he can paint graffiti and Miles is unknowingly bitten by "the Spider-Man" spider. After discovering his new powers, he returns to the subway searching for the spider and uncovers a secret lab where Spider-Man is in battle with the Green Goblin and the Prowler. Wilson Fisk, a.k.a. the Kingpin, is using the lab to test a particle accelerator which Spider-Man says could destroy the city. During the battle Spider-Man finds Miles hiding and entrusts him with a USB drive, when things don't go as planned. And that's just the beginning.


This movie is a must see. If you haven't seen this movie you are definitely missing out. My only complaints would be some of the Spider-Man felt unnecessary; also the style of movie was very dynamic and hard to adjust to, particularly the opening/intro. Once you get past that it's totally fine. The writers created a clear and captivating plot that truly encompasses the struggle of the "Spider-Man" character; such as dealing with normal problems like school, girls, parents, and hero problems like adjusting to powers, bad guys, and saving the city. This movie was rated PG so was made for kids but has a message and themes where it can be enjoyed by all ages and doesn't feel like a kid movie. This movie has quite a few entertaining characters including some of the alternate version spider men like, Spider-Woman/Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfield), Peter Porker/Spider-Ham (John Mulaney), and Peter Parker/Spider-Man Noir (Nicolas Cage). Although light hearted and funny, this movie definitely touched on more serious issues like loss, death, betrayal, responsibility and finding one's self. Probably the best Spider-Man movie, undoubtedly the best since Sam Raimi's first Spider-Man. I give it a 9/10.
  
Lethal Weapon 2 (1989)
Lethal Weapon 2 (1989)
1989 | Action, Drama
8
7.5 (11 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Joe Pesci (0 more)
Protect Joe Pesci
Lethal Weapon 2- adds more action, drama, suspense, thrills, comedy, lots of comedy and more chemistry.

The production:

Shane Black and Warren Murphy's original Play Dirty script:

Their original title for the script was Play Dirty. Although many people thought that their script was brilliant, it was rejected by Silver, studio and director Richard Donner for being too dark and bloody, and because in the ending of the script Riggs dies, while they wanted to keep him alive in case of further sequels. They also wanted the second film to focus more on comedy, while Black's draft focused more on courage and heroics, like Riggs willing to die to protect Murtaugh and his family, due to his love for them

When his script was rejected, Black felt that he had failed the producers. He initially offered to give his payment back, but his agent talked him out of it. Black also refused to re-write the script and quit from the project after working for six months on it. Black later said how the problem with the second film was that they did too much comedy, and how he dislikes the third and fourth films because of the way Riggs' character was changed.

Director Richard Donner said in the film's Blu-ray commentary that the film was shot in such a way that it could be edited with two different endings, one in which Riggs dies and one in which he lives. Audiences in test screenings responded well to Riggs' survival, and this was kept, though the last shot in the film with the camera moving away from Murtaugh holding Riggs was shot for the ending in which he dies.

Jeffrey Boam's final script:

Originally, the character of Rika was intended to survive, with the last scene in the film being Riggs and Rika eating Thanksgiving dinner with the Murtaughs, but the director decided to kill the character to increase Riggs' motivation to destroy the South African drug smugglers. The film was the debut of Leo Getz (Joe Pesci), a crooked but whistle-blowing CPA who is placed in protective custody by Riggs and Murtaugh, and makes the detectives' more difficult due to his neurotic behavior. The Getz character remained a regular throughout the remainder of the film series.

The plot: South African smugglers find themselves being hounded and harassed by Riggs and Murtaugh, two mismatched Los Angeles police officers. However, the South Africans are protected by diplomatic immunity, and so the two are assigned to witness-protection duty in an attempt by their captain to keep his job. It is only when this witness reveals to them that he has already dealt with the smugglers that the trouble really starts.

I love the chemistry between Mel and Danny and now adding Joe Pesci to the mix its perfect. The perfrct trio.

Lethal Weapon 2- is a good sequel to the first one, and adds more. Highly recordmend watching it.
  
What's Done in Darkness: A Novel
What's Done in Darkness: A Novel
Laura McHugh | 2021 | Fiction & Poetry, Thriller
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
An excellent dark and foreboding mystery
Sarabeth is seventeen when she's held captive for nearly a week and then dumped along the side of the road, bound and blindfolded. She doesn't know who took her, or where. The police doubt her story and her parents do not even report her missing from their rural Arkansas farm . Sarabeth had argued with her religious parents, who insisted she follow their strict rules and marry someone of their choosing. As she returns home and finds her family appalled by her kidnapping, she realizes something good may come from the abduction: she can escape life on the farm for good. Five years later, she's now known as Sara when investigator Nick Farrow asks her to help with the missing persons case of another girl--one incredibly similar to Sara's. Reluctantly, Sara returns home, where she must face her darkest fears (and her family) to assist in bringing this girl home.

"Sarabeth had come to think of her time on the farm as a sentence that she had to serve, one with an end date. Now it seemed like she'd have to plan an escape."

I adore Laura McHugh's writing at this point. She's an excellent writer, and this is a great mystery in her deft hands. The religious, almost cult-like aspect of Sarabeth's family seems extremely timely in this era. We see how they narrow her options, forcing her to choose between her family and her own life. Religion and darkness are major themes in this book, with darkness playing not just in the title but across the entire novel. McHugh weaves it in and out of her story--Sara being afraid of the dark, darkness and shadows lurking at every turn. And it's a dark book to read too, even if it has its light moments. Still there's hope here as well.

I loved how Sara was a complicated heroine, with a complex past and many scars. She reminded me of Joanna Schaffhausen's Ellery Hathaway in that sense--a troubled soul who must overcome her own darkness to try to save others. Her interactions with Nick were an excellent respite, and I certainly could see myself reading about these two again.

"A piece of me was still there in Arkansas, but I was gone. No one in my new life knew who I was, what had happened to me, and I wanted to keep it that way."

The book is atmospheric, sucking us into both the deep religious aspect of the Ozarks and the Arkansas countryside. The Arkansas hills seem to play their own role in the book--another character so to speak. This one kept me guessing and even as I worked out some pieces, there were plenty of twists and turns. It's a fairly quick read, but an excellent one. Certainly recommend to mystery fans and those who enjoy a character-driven read.
  
The Weight of Shadows (Shadow Series #1)
The Weight of Shadows (Shadow Series #1)
Karl Holton | 2020 | Crime
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The description above, does not do the justice to this book, there is so much more to it than it is given away in the blurb.

One thing for sure about this book, it is not boring. The book begins by introducing characters, and you should pay attention, because there is a vast amount of them. In the beginning, I was confused of who belonged were, but as I continued reading this book, it all made sense. These 300 pages are filled with action, robberies, murders, kidnapping, police investigations and of course, Ukrainian Mafia. And believe it or not, everything is entangled so masterfully that it makes one huge, great crime mystery.

The characters chosen for this book are very diverse, intriguing and complex. The book covers period of six days and it is unbelievable what can happen in that period of time. I, personally, could not choose my favourite character in this book, because there were too many great personalities. This novel was told from multiple perspectives, and it allowed to get to know the characters better, and made the book more interesting for the reader. I do like books, which are set in London, and I really enjoyed the detailed knowledge of this city, which Holton shared in the book. It just somehow warms my heart and makes it more realistic.

I really enjoyed how fast paced this book’s narrative was. Every chapter gives a different character’s story, so it was a real page turner for me, as I wanted to find out, what happened to other characters. There were a lot of twists and turns in this novel, however, some of the parts were quite obvious, and it annoyed me that those great detectives couldn’t figure out some of the things quicker. This novel is a debut for Holton, but in the prologue chapter, there is an incredibly interesting character mentioned, where it feels like this is a second book in the series, and I honestly hope that one day there will be a book about the “skin artist” and that investigation.

The writing style was pleasurable to read with easy and understandable language . I loved the short chapters of this book, and it was fast paced and indulging read. I should mention, that there are murders, blood and violence in this book, so it is not suitable for people with weak nerves. The ending of this book has very unexpected twist and a cliff hanger, which is driving me mad, but otherwise it gives a satisfactory ending for this part of the series. So, to conclude, I would strongly recommend this book, because it has riveting, complex variety of characters, and the plot is masterfully twisted making it an indulging, fast paced book, which deserves to be read. Can’t wait for the next book in the series.

Was given this book by author for honest review.
  
Bad, Dad, And Dangerous Anthology
Bad, Dad, And Dangerous Anthology
Rhys Ford, TA Moore, Bru Baker, Jenn Moffatt | 2020 | LGBTQ+, Paranormal, Romance
8
8.5 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
great box set!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this box set.

These are four unrelated stories save for the common thread that one of the main characters is a single dad and a paranormal being.

I read all four, but I only really enjoyed 3.

KISMET & CADAVERS BY JENN MOFFATT

I haven't read anything by Ms Moffatt before, but I hope I get to soon! I LOVED this! Thomas and KJ met years ago, and Thomas felt that connection. His daughter moving up from KJ's class at school gives him the perfect chance. But things are getting in the way, and a dark magic has to be dealt with.

I loved the cat in this, I really did. You don't get many undead cats playing a huge part in stories and he made me laugh, how he is with Thomas. And that he likes KJ.

It's funny, and sexy and this was my favourite, along with the next one!

WOLF AT FIRST SIGHT BY RHYS FORD

This is a novella from the Wayward Wolves series (currently only one book!) but you don't need to have read that book to follow this.

Joesph's Nana frequents the pub he is watching. The owner is rather easy on the eye, but Levi isn't the only one keeping secrets from Joesph.

Joseph and Levi have immediate attraction and it takes them time to act on that. I loved that most of the people in the pub are not what they seem and the solution to Levi's Peacekeeping problem wasn't what I saw coming.

And it was sweet, dammit!

MONSTER HALL PASS BY BRU BAKER

Vampires with a twist!

Hugh is a vampire who feeds on energy, NEGATIVE energy gives the biggest boost. So once a year, when his daughter is at camp, he goes off to help his police friends deal with their more dangerous criminals. Meeting a Fae who can smell Hugh's daughter and then goes off on one at him, wasn't really in the plan this summer. When Rykoff reveals the truth about Hugh's daughter, he knows he needs help.

Cute, really cute. I enjoyed this one, not quite as much as the first two mentioned but I did enjoy it. I'd read more of these sorts of vampires, I really would!

ELF SHOT BY TA MOORE

I didn't like this one as much as the other three, I got a bit lost along the way with this. But still, a good read, just not a great one (Sorry!)

A thoroughly enjoyable way to spend a few hours with new to me, as well as not-so-new authors. Ms Baker and Moffatt are now sat on my wish list!

4 good solid stars across the whole set, But 5 for Kismet and Cadavers and for Wolf at First Sight.

~same worded review will appear elsewhere~
  
Creepy (Kuripi: Itsuwari no rinjin) (2016)
Creepy (Kuripi: Itsuwari no rinjin) (2016)
2016 | Drama
8
8.5 (2 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Characters – Takakura was a police detective who saw his career take a tragic spin when he fails to save a victim from a serial killer, needing a change he becomes a professor of criminal psychology, moves his family away from the big city to start fresh. His skills are still wanted when his former partner comes to him for help to solve a mysterious disappearance of a family, which will only bring him back into a shocking discovery. Yasuko is Takakura’s wife, she is happy to start a new life and looking forward to meeting the new neighbours and the next step of their lie together. Nishino is the socially awkward neighbour, that doesn’t seem to be able to hold a conversation without getting creepy about it, he keeps his life secret, only opening up on the smallest details when it seems to work for him. Nogmai is the former partner of Takakura, who asks him for help with the latest case doesn’t seem to offer any answers, which will opening up the old version of Takakura who proves himself to be brilliant detective.

Performances – Hidetoshi Nishijima is wonderful in the leading role, which sees him caught between a new life or the old one he was successful in, Teruyuki Kagawa is truly disturbing in his role which will make you feel uncomfortable whenever he is on screen. Yuko Takeuchi is great to watch in her role which sees her caught in the middle of everything going on.

Story – The story here follows a former detective that starts teaching, only to find himself drawn back into a case which might have a connection closer to home for him. This is a story that does take a little bit of time to get going because we do get a clear path we are heading down, but start following two different stories that will connect. The story does become very dark though which is intense to watch to see just what the serial killer has been up to and his plan for people. It only gets upped when Takakura is left knowing the truth and being left helpless to take the killer down at times.

Horror/Mystery – The horror in this film comes form seeing just what the serial killer has been doing with a new unique way of covering up the bodies in his path, the mystery comes from seeing how a former case could become difficult to solve.

Settings – The film shows us how serial killers could operate in any neighbourhood, showing us just how they can get away for so long.


Scene of the Movie – Bag time.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – It does take slightly too long to get going.

Final Thoughts – This is one of the most creepy disturbing serial killer films you will ever see, just seeing how a cat-n-mouse battle takes over.

 

Overall: Intense thriller.
  
The Foreigner (2017)
The Foreigner (2017)
2017 | Action, Thriller
STX Films is releasing the film The Foreigner this weekend, and stars Jackie Chan and Pierce Brosnan. It is directed by Martin Campbell who also directed Casino Royale.

This film is full of action from the first few minutes on. It made me actually tear up within the first 20 minutes, when Quan, the main character, loses his daughter in a bombing.

The bombing is politically motivated, and is under investigation by British officials both in London and in Ireland. Quan just wants the names of those responsible, in order to exact revenge on the death his daughter.

Quan zeros in on Liam Hennesy (Pierce Brosnan), an ex IRA leader and current high ranking official Irish Diplomat who answers to the British government. Hennesy claims to have no knowledge of who committed the crime, but investigation reveals that the parts of the bombs are stolen from old weapons stores that only his group would have knowledge of.

Quan demands names, Hennesy repeatedly refuses, and Quan reverts to desperate and ingenious measures. He rigs up bombs out of what looks like regular groceries, inside Hennessey’s business offices and rattles Hennesy into fleeing / retreating to his farm in the countryside.

Quan follows and consistently picks off Hennessey’s men, always beating the odds in creative ways to come out ahead in the fight against men that are younger and outnumber him, at times 10 to 1.

Hennesy, meanwhile, is actually actively trying to figure out who set off the bombs, and sets up a plan to try and catch the bombers the next time they attempt a bombing, but somehow the next bomb goes off without any of the given code words that were assigned, which leads Hennesy to discover that at least one of the perpetrators is in fact directly tied to him, and helping the terrorist group.

Hennesy and the British police track down the bombers holed up in an apartment building, but Quan gets to them first and takes care of business, leaving one bomber to be able to tell the Brits where the last bomb is, and where its headed.

Whether they manage to get to the last bomb I will leave for you to find out……

I really liked the film, as did my husband. I thought that some of the Irish accents were a bit horrid, but overall the film was enjoyable, full of action, and we thought that it had a good storyline too. It had enough twists to be interesting and a few “AH HAH” moments, but not so convoluted as to be annoying.

The fact that Jackie Chan is still able to pull off hose stunts was amazing to us and we loved watching him get his revenge and overcoming seemingly impossible odds.

The only part we both we taken aback by was how “quiet” the very end of the film was. It wasn’t a big deal, but after the action of the movie it was definitely a different “feel”