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Merissa (11961 KP) rated Northern Lights (Arctic Heat, #1) in Books

Dec 17, 2018 (Updated Apr 10, 2023)  
Northern Lights (Arctic Heat, #1)
Northern Lights (Arctic Heat, #1)
T.T. Kove | 2014 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I received this book from NetGalley in return for a fair and honest review.

So this book carries on in the Arctic Love series but centres on Varg (norse for Wolf just in case you were wondering). Varg is a very different person than Andreas and has his own past to deal with. He hasn't lusted after Jonathan for years because he's never met him before. Jonathan we know from the first book has a very 'prickly' personality and makes sure that no one can get close to him. Varg is just here for a holiday , to see his brother Frey (if they can find the time due to Frey's shifts at the hospital) and spend time with Andreas too.

Varg is very blunt in his manner and has no problem with sex. He likes it, he admits it. He also admits that you don't have to like someone to have sex with them. For that alone, this book was refreshing. Yes, there's no gentle, tender build up to their story like there was for Christian and Andreas but come on, if every book was the same story, people would be complaining. This book is more matter of factual, less about love (to start with) and more about in your face instant attraction.

I am really enjoying this series and am looking forward to reading Frey's story as there were a couple of hints in this book about him. We've had tender and drawn out, we've had instant and attitudes so it will be interesting to hear his story.


December 18, 2018
  
Mad: Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know Trilogy
Mad: Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know Trilogy
Chloé Esposito | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
1
1.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Awful, I wanted to tear my hair out
I think I may be too sane or too old to have read this book. It definitely did not appeal to me. Most of the time you wish for the antagonist to meet a horrible accident or to be killed in a brutal fashion. But mostly the author's over emphasis on inner monologue becomes grating to the point it gives you a headache.

The story is over the top involving murder plots, psychopaths, sex and the mafia and completely implausible. And it all surrounds a psychopathic twin called Alvina. It's like reading a long drawn episode of Sunset Beach - beyond ridiculous and just irritating to the extreme. I persevered until the end but suffice to say I won't be reading this author's books again.
  
The Pillars of the Earth
The Pillars of the Earth
Ken Follett | 2014 | Fiction & Poetry
8
7.6 (13 Ratings)
Book Rating
In Depth, long page turner
Contains spoilers, click to show
I'm not normally the sort of person who goes in for historical fiction. Especially those set in the Dark Ages, but gave it a go as had heard it was a modern 'must read'.
For something that was over 1000 pages, it never felt like a slog or a chore to read. The more you get in to it, the more you want to read in one sitting.
Admitted, the sex scenes are quite gratuitous and graphic at times. And, taken in a modern context, the continual dumping on the lead character can seem overly harsh, as if the author gets pleasure from torturing his lead. But read the book through the historical lens of it's 12th-13th Century setting, and this reduces the frustrations, and adds to the realism
  
CO
Chronicle of the Mound Builders
Elle Marie | 2012
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
[Chronicle of the Mound Builders] by [Elle Marie] is a fast paced, thought provoking ride. The tie between the past and the present using a female archaeologist as one of the main protagonists is a different take on a mystery.

As someone who if familiar with the Cahokia Mounds and the mystery that surrounds them I personally found the plot of this story intriguing. The characters were believable even in some of the more fantastic elements. It all fit together.

I could have done without the sex scene because it seemed gratuitous but I get that is common in fiction today. The story could stand very well on its own without that though.

I have recommended this book to my sister who is an anthropologist and a big [Elizabeth Peters] fan.
  
KC
Kiss Crush Collide
2
2.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I was hoping for something a little more unique and individual from this book. As I started reading it, the main character's voice was nearly invisible: it was like she didn't have any character. I couldn't tell if she was haughty or shy, proud or embarrassed, or anything really.

In the first two chapters, stuff happened—but I couldn't tell you what, or why, or in what order, or how it was all related. Her thoughts and memories intertwined with her current experiences, but I couldn't keep track of what was what.

And really, the plot itself is very typical: girl has everything, boy is a mess, they fall in love and create a disaster but the sex is so good that it's worth it.

really?

No thanks.
  
The Thin Blue Line
The Thin Blue Line
1995 | Classics, Comedy, Crime
9
7.7 (40 Ratings)
TV Show Rating
I have just recently started to rewatch thin blue line, the comedy in this tv series is mild but classic, it has a silliness to the program but still funny different from today comedy (1 more)
Roman Atkinson plays a police Sargent with a girlfriend whom complains about their boring sex life or lack there of. They often role play ideas which become very out there and Ridiculous
The second series is slightly less funny than the first but still funny, I guess this is why there was only two series, if they could of kept up the same comedy from first series, making a third (1 more)
Series would of been nice to see but I feel as the second series didn’t take off as much that’s why it stop at two.
Golden oldies
  
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ArecRain (8 KP) rated Heat in Books

Jan 18, 2018  
H
Heat
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I tried to like this novel but it just fell short. I give 3 stars for the steamy sex scenes but that’s all I enjoyed about it. The heroine Rikki felt too whiny and obnoxious. I seriously felt like she needed to go see a therapist because she clearly has no coping mechanisms to speak of. The rest just felt cliché. A sexy fireman calendar, that pushy friend who speaks in sexual innuendos and thinks that everything can be solved by getting laid, and even a wet t-shirt shower seen. All in all, it felt like a porno come to life. If that’s your thing, then you will love this novel but don’t expect any depth. Though come to think of it, the author warns the reader of that.
  
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Awix (3310 KP) rated The Shape of Water (2017) in Movies

Feb 19, 2018 (Updated Feb 19, 2018)  
The Shape of Water  (2017)
The Shape of Water (2017)
2017 | Drama, Fantasy
Guillermo del Toro's stunning fantasy film is either a radical reimagining of Creature from the Black Lagoon, or a grand amour as written by H.P. Lovecraft (or maybe both). Lonely cleaner discovers fish-man creature being mistreated in the installation where she works, bond develops between them.

Manages to work both as a 60s-set genre movie and more topical comment on issues of tolerance and diversity (just for a change). Quite charming and beautiful on the whole, though the strength of the sex and violence might be an issue for some people. The downtrodden-minorities-stick-it-to-The-Man subtext is a bit on the nose, perhaps, and I'm not sure the third act musical number really works, but on the whole this is a brilliant movie.
  
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Awix (3310 KP) rated Fifty Shades Freed (2018) in Movies

Feb 12, 2018 (Updated Feb 12, 2018)  
Fifty Shades Freed (2018)
Fifty Shades Freed (2018)
2018 | Drama
Mercifully brief compared to the other two (1 more)
A good advert for celibacy
Once More Unto the Sex Dungeon
(Hey, I know no shame, I will admit to watching this.) Yet more underwhelming shenanigans from the crayon of E.L. James, as thinly-characterised everygirl Anastasia and mysteriously alluring ripped billionaire Christian Grey embark upon married life together.

More of the same mixture of blandly aspirational low-octane soap opera and profoundly unerotic softcore porno; difficult to say which is more boring. Scores somewhat over the second one by actually having a sort of thriller subplot, which means there are moments which approach being dramatic. Supposedly edgy and transgressive saga concludes with the most conventional image of domestic happiness imaginable; says it all really. One quite funny line: too involved to repeat here, alas.