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Dirty Angels (Dirty Angels, #1)
7.0
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For Luisa Chavez, a twenty-three year old former beauty queen, a better life has always been just...
dark romance new adult contemporary
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2109 KP) rated Y is for Yesterday (Kinsey Millhone, #25) in Books
Dec 2, 2023
Yesterday, I Finished the Alphabet
It is September of 1989, and PI Kinsey Millhone is hired by a family in a difficult situation. 10 years ago, their son made an explicit tape. He’s just been released from prison, and now the tape has resurfaced. Someone is threatening to give the tape to the authorities if the family doesn’t pay up, and they want Kinsey to find out who it is. Meanwhile, Kinsey is dealing with the aftermath of the attack she recently suffered. Things only heat up when she suspects her attacker might be back in the area.
There is plenty happening here with four different storylines weaving in and out of each other. Still, I did feel the flashbacks for the main mystery slowed things down. The rest of the stories feature continuing stories and characters from earlier books in the series, and I especially liked seeing one of them come back since it gave much needed closure to the previous book in the series. As always, I liked seeing Kinsey again, and we see plenty of regulars. This is the final book in the series, and part of me is sad because I’d love to know how the author would have ended things. On the other hand, this book ends without any major cliffhangers and allows us to imagine Kinsey’s life moving forward as we want it to. I wish we could have gotten a feel for what was on the tape without going into all the detail we got, especially the second time around. There’s a dose of foul language as well I definitely recommend this for series fans even if it isn’t one of the stronger books in the series.
There is plenty happening here with four different storylines weaving in and out of each other. Still, I did feel the flashbacks for the main mystery slowed things down. The rest of the stories feature continuing stories and characters from earlier books in the series, and I especially liked seeing one of them come back since it gave much needed closure to the previous book in the series. As always, I liked seeing Kinsey again, and we see plenty of regulars. This is the final book in the series, and part of me is sad because I’d love to know how the author would have ended things. On the other hand, this book ends without any major cliffhangers and allows us to imagine Kinsey’s life moving forward as we want it to. I wish we could have gotten a feel for what was on the tape without going into all the detail we got, especially the second time around. There’s a dose of foul language as well I definitely recommend this for series fans even if it isn’t one of the stronger books in the series.
The Woman Outside the Walls
7.0
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I always knew it would come out one day. They are finding everyone who has stayed hidden. They would...
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Vicious Royals ( Nocturnal Academy book 3) in Books
Oct 25, 2022
197 of 230
Kindle
Vicious Royals ( Nocturnal Academy book 3)
By Margo Ryerkerk and Holly Hook
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A sadistic vamp lord. A rebellious fae. A vicious hunt.
The first term of Nocturnal Academy is over. Majors have been assigned.
I've made choices that brought me closer to the guillotine. But the fight isn't over, not yet.
I must get through the spring term. Not an easy feat when the vamp students are planning a sacrifice and have a bone to pick with me.
But even if I survive the prison academy, someone will be buying my contract after school is out, and rumor has it that the king of sadists is interested in me.
Whatever he wants, he gets.
But if he thinks I'll go down without a fight, he has another thing coming.
I'll even ally myself with Thorsten, the vamp guard whose family the sadist has wronged.
But working together with Thorsten brings new problems. The handsome jerk seems to hate me, yet keeps putting his head on the line for me.
My mind is growing more and more confused with him while my body craves him.
If I'm not careful, I'm going to leave Nocturnal Academy not just with a slavery contract, but also a broken heart.
Dive into a world where vampires rule over fae, and one girl is determined to change it all!
This world is a hard one if you’re Fae. It’s pretty brutal the way these vampires behave towards the fae especially the female. This is the best one so far it’s fully packed with action and drama. Also the bombshell at the end I didn’t see coming. Well worth a read if you like fantasy but it may need a trigger warning for some scenes. I do really like these two authors they are becoming firm favourites.
Kindle
Vicious Royals ( Nocturnal Academy book 3)
By Margo Ryerkerk and Holly Hook
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A sadistic vamp lord. A rebellious fae. A vicious hunt.
The first term of Nocturnal Academy is over. Majors have been assigned.
I've made choices that brought me closer to the guillotine. But the fight isn't over, not yet.
I must get through the spring term. Not an easy feat when the vamp students are planning a sacrifice and have a bone to pick with me.
But even if I survive the prison academy, someone will be buying my contract after school is out, and rumor has it that the king of sadists is interested in me.
Whatever he wants, he gets.
But if he thinks I'll go down without a fight, he has another thing coming.
I'll even ally myself with Thorsten, the vamp guard whose family the sadist has wronged.
But working together with Thorsten brings new problems. The handsome jerk seems to hate me, yet keeps putting his head on the line for me.
My mind is growing more and more confused with him while my body craves him.
If I'm not careful, I'm going to leave Nocturnal Academy not just with a slavery contract, but also a broken heart.
Dive into a world where vampires rule over fae, and one girl is determined to change it all!
This world is a hard one if you’re Fae. It’s pretty brutal the way these vampires behave towards the fae especially the female. This is the best one so far it’s fully packed with action and drama. Also the bombshell at the end I didn’t see coming. Well worth a read if you like fantasy but it may need a trigger warning for some scenes. I do really like these two authors they are becoming firm favourites.
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated The Last Cabin Girl in Books
Aug 28, 2023
114 of 235
Kindle
The Last Cabin Girl
By
Tom Swyers
⭐️⭐️
As the pandemic begins, Josie Thompson is a struggling waitress, mom of two great kids. She wants a fresh start far from her abusive husband, the confining small town she calls home, and a long-held secret her family refuses to disclose.
But Josie isn’t going anywhere. After murder victims turn up floating in the river near her isolated cabin, the FBI quickly charges her in one of the killings. Thankfully, she’s freed on bond, but charges for the other deaths loom. The FBI thinks she’s a serial killer.
If convicted, she faces life in prison and a future forever apart from her children. Josie can’t let that happen. She must venture out of her comfort zone to prove her innocence, even if it means confronting her issues, including a growing fear of COVID-19.
Can she trust anyone to help? A friendly detective and former police officer? Her estranged lawyer-brother, David Thompson? Her cryptic parents? A wealthy bachelor who has eyes for her?
In a town where things are not what they seem and not everyone can be trusted, can Josie clear her name, or will her own dark secrets be her undoing?
I honestly don’t know what I just read. I hate giving 2 star reviews but I just don’t know what I feel about this book. It started well but I think there were to many ideas thrown into it I found it became completely bizarre towards the end I mean I can see what the author wanted to to do was twist , turn and shock but all it did for me was twist, turn and confuse. We have the covid 19 virus, conspiracy, incest and espionage that didn’t gel well in my opinion. So sorry 🙈
Kindle
The Last Cabin Girl
By
Tom Swyers
⭐️⭐️
As the pandemic begins, Josie Thompson is a struggling waitress, mom of two great kids. She wants a fresh start far from her abusive husband, the confining small town she calls home, and a long-held secret her family refuses to disclose.
But Josie isn’t going anywhere. After murder victims turn up floating in the river near her isolated cabin, the FBI quickly charges her in one of the killings. Thankfully, she’s freed on bond, but charges for the other deaths loom. The FBI thinks she’s a serial killer.
If convicted, she faces life in prison and a future forever apart from her children. Josie can’t let that happen. She must venture out of her comfort zone to prove her innocence, even if it means confronting her issues, including a growing fear of COVID-19.
Can she trust anyone to help? A friendly detective and former police officer? Her estranged lawyer-brother, David Thompson? Her cryptic parents? A wealthy bachelor who has eyes for her?
In a town where things are not what they seem and not everyone can be trusted, can Josie clear her name, or will her own dark secrets be her undoing?
I honestly don’t know what I just read. I hate giving 2 star reviews but I just don’t know what I feel about this book. It started well but I think there were to many ideas thrown into it I found it became completely bizarre towards the end I mean I can see what the author wanted to to do was twist , turn and shock but all it did for me was twist, turn and confuse. We have the covid 19 virus, conspiracy, incest and espionage that didn’t gel well in my opinion. So sorry 🙈
Young Queens: Three Renaissance Women and the Price of Power
9.0
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Sixteenth-century Europe: Renaissance masters paint the ceilings of Florentine churches, kings...
Non-fiction France Spain Scotland England 16th Century Europe
Mothergamer (1524 KP) rated Yakuza Kiwami SteelBook Edition in Video Games
Jun 21, 2019
I had never played any of the Yakuza games, but I had always been curious about them so when Yakuza Kiwami was one of the free games offered up with my Playstation Plus I picked it up. The introduction at the beginning of the story is interesting and I really liked Kazuma Kiryu because of his sense of honor and doing his best to protect his friends. I was glad to see that there are a range of difficulty settings in the game options and went with easy so I could get a feel for the game and just enjoy the story.
The story begins with Kiryu taking the fall for a friend and emerging from prison ten years later. This opens up a small tutorial for how the game controls work. Exploration and level grinding are a big part of Yakuza Kiwami as you progress in the main story and there are side quests as well. The night life of Tokyo is vibrant and colorful in the game adding to the atmosphere. I found myself stopping often just to look around at all the different things.
This wouldn't be Yakuza without the brawls of course and there are many. Often gangs roaming the streets will pick fights with Kiryu and this is where the game really shines. The fights are fun and being able to switch between Kiryu's four fighting styles; brawler, rush, and beast give you a feel for the fighting mechanics while feeling that raw criminal underworld vibe. However, there are times where the game fails to give you an idea about which fighting style works best and how they differ from each other. I did a lot of trial and error with many fights because of this. That didn't make the game any less fun for me though and successfully winning a fight felt great.
There is one thing that really bugged me about the game and that is all the fights with the character Majima. While I understood that Kiryu being forced to fight Majima was a way to get him back to his original top tier fighting shape after his long stint in prison, I felt incredibly annoyed at how often Majima turned up demanding a brawl especially when I was trying to get somewhere in the story. I did not want to have a constant detour of fighting him and yet he kept popping up everywhere. Majimi is an interesting character don't get me wrong, but I found these fights tedious. Of course the reward for all these fights is it unlocks Kiryu's dragon fighting form which is great, but the irritation of Majima fights sucked a bit of fun out of the game for me.
I enjoyed the story for Yakuza Kiwami a lot because I liked Kiryu and was invested in his journey. There are a lot of flashbacks explaining what happened to certain characters and shines a light on how they came to be where they are in the present. Sometimes the story feels a little slow in places, but it is well thought out and well done. Where it really stands out is with the intrigue and drama with plot reveals that give amazing cinematic cutscenes that feel like you're watching a movie. Overall the game is great and while it's not necessarily a long game, there is plenty to do with the side quests, mini games, and exploration of the city. Once you finish the game, you can also try new game plus which carries over all your learned abilities, mini games, and side quest stories. Yakuza Kiwami was a lot of fun for me to play and I'm glad I checked it out. Thanks for reading, see you at the next adventure!
The story begins with Kiryu taking the fall for a friend and emerging from prison ten years later. This opens up a small tutorial for how the game controls work. Exploration and level grinding are a big part of Yakuza Kiwami as you progress in the main story and there are side quests as well. The night life of Tokyo is vibrant and colorful in the game adding to the atmosphere. I found myself stopping often just to look around at all the different things.
This wouldn't be Yakuza without the brawls of course and there are many. Often gangs roaming the streets will pick fights with Kiryu and this is where the game really shines. The fights are fun and being able to switch between Kiryu's four fighting styles; brawler, rush, and beast give you a feel for the fighting mechanics while feeling that raw criminal underworld vibe. However, there are times where the game fails to give you an idea about which fighting style works best and how they differ from each other. I did a lot of trial and error with many fights because of this. That didn't make the game any less fun for me though and successfully winning a fight felt great.
There is one thing that really bugged me about the game and that is all the fights with the character Majima. While I understood that Kiryu being forced to fight Majima was a way to get him back to his original top tier fighting shape after his long stint in prison, I felt incredibly annoyed at how often Majima turned up demanding a brawl especially when I was trying to get somewhere in the story. I did not want to have a constant detour of fighting him and yet he kept popping up everywhere. Majimi is an interesting character don't get me wrong, but I found these fights tedious. Of course the reward for all these fights is it unlocks Kiryu's dragon fighting form which is great, but the irritation of Majima fights sucked a bit of fun out of the game for me.
I enjoyed the story for Yakuza Kiwami a lot because I liked Kiryu and was invested in his journey. There are a lot of flashbacks explaining what happened to certain characters and shines a light on how they came to be where they are in the present. Sometimes the story feels a little slow in places, but it is well thought out and well done. Where it really stands out is with the intrigue and drama with plot reveals that give amazing cinematic cutscenes that feel like you're watching a movie. Overall the game is great and while it's not necessarily a long game, there is plenty to do with the side quests, mini games, and exploration of the city. Once you finish the game, you can also try new game plus which carries over all your learned abilities, mini games, and side quest stories. Yakuza Kiwami was a lot of fun for me to play and I'm glad I checked it out. Thanks for reading, see you at the next adventure!
JT (287 KP) rated The Raid 2 (2014) in Movies
Mar 10, 2020
Stop….pause….take a breath, you’ll need to catch it after witnessing one of the finest action films made for some time.
The follow up to The Raid packs an even harder punch, with our hero Rama (Iko Uwais) sent undercover to bring down a crime family and uncover yet more police corruption.
The first film was simplistic enough, a SWAT team enter a building and (without the use of an elevator) must navigate their way up to the top floor to bring down a powerful but mediocre drug lord. Praised for its gritty no holds barred fight sequences, and perfectly timed action it was nothing short of a hit.
Part 2 follows practically from where the last ended, Rama is hurried away to a secluded location and given the rundown explaining that all his efforts were for nothing, but that he still has a big part to play. Although he doesn’t have much of a choice in the matter.
The-Raid-2-Gareth-Evans
To keep his family safe he has to get close to the arrogant son of a mob boss, Ucok (Arifin Putra), and to do this must infiltrate a prison by committing a high profile crime that will get him noticed by the mafia top brass. What is only supposed to be a few months turns into a couple of years, giving Rama more than enough time to get right under the skin of Ucok.
The storyline isn’t anything unique with shades of Infernal Affairs about it, police corruption, undercover cops and feuding mafia families probably seem all too familiar but director Gareth Evans lays it out in such a way that the similarities end right there.
The story delves deeper into several subplots all of which trail off on their own, but they don’t hamper the overall narrative or confuse things in a way which will make the film harder to follow and at an ass numbing 150 minutes that might be easier said than done.
Then there is the inclusion of three of the badest characters you’re ever likely to see. Hammer Girl, whose special moves entail ripping people in two with claw hammers, Baseball Bat Man, you can probably guess his unique ability and then The Assassin, who armed with a pair of kerambits’ is a silent but very much a deadly force.
There’s returning actor Yayan Ruhian who played Mad Dog in the first film but who has reappeared here as an ass-kicking hobo aiding one of the families, but ends up in the crosshairs of an instigated war were blood hasn’t been spilt in over ten years.
Evans cuts from the action with dramatic undertones, of which the performances are very good, its the gratuitous violence that Raid fans will have shelled out their money for. It’s wince-inducing on another level, whether it’s getting an arm snapped in half, a pelvis dislocated or a hammer ripped through someone’s cheek you’ll probably find yourself twisting and turning in your seat.
the-raid-2-berandal-26
The choreography is mesmerising as Evans interlocks a Godfather-like tale with action that doesn’t give you enough time to look away from the screen. From a mass prison yard scrap, an epic car chase where back seat driving takes on a whole different meaning and a jaw-dropping kitchen fight finale, it’s a film that will live long in the action memory.
Leaving the confines of a tower block behind the action and story run riot through lush green marshes, back streets and bars to city streets. The editing is short and sharp like a punch to the head, moving gracefully enough that it doesn’t judder the explosive action or disjoint the scenes of real drama.
It’s thoroughly entertaining which has justified all the hype beforehand, wonderfully shot and exhilarating throughout Evans will have his work cut out to make sure that The Raid 3 caps an action trilogy masterclass.
The follow up to The Raid packs an even harder punch, with our hero Rama (Iko Uwais) sent undercover to bring down a crime family and uncover yet more police corruption.
The first film was simplistic enough, a SWAT team enter a building and (without the use of an elevator) must navigate their way up to the top floor to bring down a powerful but mediocre drug lord. Praised for its gritty no holds barred fight sequences, and perfectly timed action it was nothing short of a hit.
Part 2 follows practically from where the last ended, Rama is hurried away to a secluded location and given the rundown explaining that all his efforts were for nothing, but that he still has a big part to play. Although he doesn’t have much of a choice in the matter.
The-Raid-2-Gareth-Evans
To keep his family safe he has to get close to the arrogant son of a mob boss, Ucok (Arifin Putra), and to do this must infiltrate a prison by committing a high profile crime that will get him noticed by the mafia top brass. What is only supposed to be a few months turns into a couple of years, giving Rama more than enough time to get right under the skin of Ucok.
The storyline isn’t anything unique with shades of Infernal Affairs about it, police corruption, undercover cops and feuding mafia families probably seem all too familiar but director Gareth Evans lays it out in such a way that the similarities end right there.
The story delves deeper into several subplots all of which trail off on their own, but they don’t hamper the overall narrative or confuse things in a way which will make the film harder to follow and at an ass numbing 150 minutes that might be easier said than done.
Then there is the inclusion of three of the badest characters you’re ever likely to see. Hammer Girl, whose special moves entail ripping people in two with claw hammers, Baseball Bat Man, you can probably guess his unique ability and then The Assassin, who armed with a pair of kerambits’ is a silent but very much a deadly force.
There’s returning actor Yayan Ruhian who played Mad Dog in the first film but who has reappeared here as an ass-kicking hobo aiding one of the families, but ends up in the crosshairs of an instigated war were blood hasn’t been spilt in over ten years.
Evans cuts from the action with dramatic undertones, of which the performances are very good, its the gratuitous violence that Raid fans will have shelled out their money for. It’s wince-inducing on another level, whether it’s getting an arm snapped in half, a pelvis dislocated or a hammer ripped through someone’s cheek you’ll probably find yourself twisting and turning in your seat.
the-raid-2-berandal-26
The choreography is mesmerising as Evans interlocks a Godfather-like tale with action that doesn’t give you enough time to look away from the screen. From a mass prison yard scrap, an epic car chase where back seat driving takes on a whole different meaning and a jaw-dropping kitchen fight finale, it’s a film that will live long in the action memory.
Leaving the confines of a tower block behind the action and story run riot through lush green marshes, back streets and bars to city streets. The editing is short and sharp like a punch to the head, moving gracefully enough that it doesn’t judder the explosive action or disjoint the scenes of real drama.
It’s thoroughly entertaining which has justified all the hype beforehand, wonderfully shot and exhilarating throughout Evans will have his work cut out to make sure that The Raid 3 caps an action trilogy masterclass.
Secret Agents Spy Mission 3D -Covert Escape Action
Games and Entertainment
App
A fierce police vs secret agent and mafia vs crime swat spy mission game where kill or to be killed...
Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) rated Criminal (2016) in Movies
Jul 21, 2017
Bad dialogue (2 more)
Rubbish Ending
Poorly written script
How To Waste A Great Cast
The trailers for this movie had me sold, as did the top class cast and the plot also sounded interesting, even if it is very similar to something that Ryan Reynolds was involved in previously. Last year he was in a film with Ben Kingsley called Selfless, in which Kingsley played an old millionaire who wanted his brain to be transferred into a young man’s body, and so he took over the body of Reynolds’ character. In this movie Reynolds plays a government agent who gets killed in action, but before he died, he had information that no one else knew and that the government needed. So the head of his team, played by Gary Oldman, recruits a scientist, played by Tommy Lee Jones, to use pioneering biology to transfer the memories of Reynolds’ character into Kevin Costner’s character, who is a psychopath with a child’s mind and has spent the majority of his life in prison. Predictably, Costner’s character starts developing symptoms of multiple personality disorder and having memories of Reynold’s character and from this point on, the film is kind of a mess. A poorly written script results in the audience struggling to find anyone to root with and this lack of a protagonist causes the movie to feel aimless from the start. The closest thing we get to a good guy is Ryan Reynolds and he dies at the very start of the movie, but then the filmmaker expects you to suddenly root for Kevin Costner’s character, even though he is a murderous psycho with absolutely no morals. Gary Oldman certainly isn’t a good guy, since he’s willing to go to whatever measures necessary to get this information that Reynolds’ character had when he died, no matter how extreme or morally ambiguous. Honestly this is one to skip, there isn’t even any payoff at the end of the movie and most of the dialogue throughout is pure cliché nonsense, go see something else instead.