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PIPKAT (4 KP) rated Irresistible (Buchanans #2) in Books
Mar 4, 2022
<b>POV:</b> Multiple. <spoiler>The biggest issue I have with this book.</spoiler>
<b>Descriptive Sex:</b> Yes.
<b>OW/OM:</b> Yes. <spoiler>Sort of? Walker does kiss an ex-<i>lover</i> while Elissa and Walker are together. Said ex is also married and I just do not see why it had to be included. Also, as mentioned in other reviews, if there's an ex or dead spouse that aren't physically there but still deters the relationship, I would include it OW/OM drama. In this case, Walker's (dead) ex-high school girlfriend is why he doesn't want to commit.</spoiler>
<b>Separation:</b> No.
<b>Content Warnings:</b> domestic abuse, child abuse, drugs, and mention of abortion.
<b>★★½</b>
If this book was purely Elissa and Walker's story, got rid of that ridiculous Naomi scene (re: OW/OM), and didn't rush the ending, then this would've easily been four stars for me. This book suffered from the randomly scattered scenes in the POV of Walker's siblings. I know it was done because this is a continuous story of these siblings that spans over four books, but I really don't want to read about these characters with OW/OM then in their book they end up with someone else <spoiler>(I'm only assuming this is the case in [b:Delicious|73069|Delicious (Buchanans, #1)|Susan Mallery|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388274581l/73069._SY75_.jpg|70723] since we see Dani with someone in this novel before her book. Also assuming <i>Delicious</i> involves Naomi and Walker which I'm glad I passed over otherwise I wouldn't make it through this. Although if it doesn't then that makes the Naomi scene even more pointlessly thrown into this book)</spoiler>. Which is why I don't plan on continuing or going back. I did really like Elissa and Walker individually as well as together though. It was touch and go since there is a lot of push and pull when I think Elissa deserved definitiveness.
<b>Descriptive Sex:</b> Yes.
<b>OW/OM:</b> Yes. <spoiler>Sort of? Walker does kiss an ex-<i>lover</i> while Elissa and Walker are together. Said ex is also married and I just do not see why it had to be included. Also, as mentioned in other reviews, if there's an ex or dead spouse that aren't physically there but still deters the relationship, I would include it OW/OM drama. In this case, Walker's (dead) ex-high school girlfriend is why he doesn't want to commit.</spoiler>
<b>Separation:</b> No.
<b>Content Warnings:</b> domestic abuse, child abuse, drugs, and mention of abortion.
<b>★★½</b>
If this book was purely Elissa and Walker's story, got rid of that ridiculous Naomi scene (re: OW/OM), and didn't rush the ending, then this would've easily been four stars for me. This book suffered from the randomly scattered scenes in the POV of Walker's siblings. I know it was done because this is a continuous story of these siblings that spans over four books, but I really don't want to read about these characters with OW/OM then in their book they end up with someone else <spoiler>(I'm only assuming this is the case in [b:Delicious|73069|Delicious (Buchanans, #1)|Susan Mallery|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388274581l/73069._SY75_.jpg|70723] since we see Dani with someone in this novel before her book. Also assuming <i>Delicious</i> involves Naomi and Walker which I'm glad I passed over otherwise I wouldn't make it through this. Although if it doesn't then that makes the Naomi scene even more pointlessly thrown into this book)</spoiler>. Which is why I don't plan on continuing or going back. I did really like Elissa and Walker individually as well as together though. It was touch and go since there is a lot of push and pull when I think Elissa deserved definitiveness.
ClareR (5674 KP) rated The Dangerous Kingdom of Love in Books
Feb 21, 2022
After reading this book, I’d just like to say that I think Francis Bacon is perhaps one of my favourite characters ever! He has (I should clarify: in this book) the right mix of intelligence, humour and cunning to survive at the court of James I, and to keep me reading!
Francis realises that his place at court is in danger as long as Robert Carr is James I’s bedfellow (it hasn’t been explicitly told in history that James I was having sex with Carr and other young men, but he certainly liked having the young, attractive boys around). Carr is set to marry Frances Howard, and the Howards hate Bacon. Therefore, Bacon decides to find the King a new young man and oust Carr. This part where Bacon supports the rise of Villiers is, I believe, true, so this adds credence to the story.
It’s a love story for Bacon from here. He’s a reluctant romantic where Villiers is concerned (we’ll gloss over the fact that his wife, Alice Barnham, isn’t even hinted at), and realises too late that he doesn’t want to be without him. However this coincides with Bacon’s dramatic fall from grace (which is true).
I love historical fiction that takes the bones of a story and moulds it into something else VERY MUCH! Francis Bacon and all the other characters in this are fully formed people, given personalities, loves, dreams and quirks that you never see in the history books. Yes, it’s good to know what really happened (if that’s your thing), but this book was fun! Francis has a wicked side to him that I fell for. I had to keep reminding myself that this wasn’t the real Francis Bacon, it was Neil Blackmore’s Francis Bacon.
So yes, read this book. It’s bawdy and explicit in places, but oh my! The feels, people! This ticked all of my historical fiction boxes, and more besides!
Francis realises that his place at court is in danger as long as Robert Carr is James I’s bedfellow (it hasn’t been explicitly told in history that James I was having sex with Carr and other young men, but he certainly liked having the young, attractive boys around). Carr is set to marry Frances Howard, and the Howards hate Bacon. Therefore, Bacon decides to find the King a new young man and oust Carr. This part where Bacon supports the rise of Villiers is, I believe, true, so this adds credence to the story.
It’s a love story for Bacon from here. He’s a reluctant romantic where Villiers is concerned (we’ll gloss over the fact that his wife, Alice Barnham, isn’t even hinted at), and realises too late that he doesn’t want to be without him. However this coincides with Bacon’s dramatic fall from grace (which is true).
I love historical fiction that takes the bones of a story and moulds it into something else VERY MUCH! Francis Bacon and all the other characters in this are fully formed people, given personalities, loves, dreams and quirks that you never see in the history books. Yes, it’s good to know what really happened (if that’s your thing), but this book was fun! Francis has a wicked side to him that I fell for. I had to keep reminding myself that this wasn’t the real Francis Bacon, it was Neil Blackmore’s Francis Bacon.
So yes, read this book. It’s bawdy and explicit in places, but oh my! The feels, people! This ticked all of my historical fiction boxes, and more besides!
Merissa (11953 KP) rated By the Red Moonlight (Moonlight Prophecies #1) in Books
Oct 6, 2021 (Updated Jul 12, 2023)
BY THE RED MOONLIGHT is the first book in the Moonlight Prophecies series and, oh boy, I think we're in for a treat. Amanda Meuwissen is fast becoming a one-click author for me. She is able to give me a story rich in detail with unique details, and a cast of characters second to none.
Now, being as this paranormal, you might assume that insta-love and fated mates are involved. Well, nope. You'd be wrong. Insta-lust is involved but, hey, you don't have to read paranormal to get that! Bash is trying to form an alliance with a neighbouring pack, purely business/sex, with no love involved. Ethan throws a spanner in the works with that by being turned into a vampire. He's very strong but very different from the other vampires, and the pull between Bash and Ethan is incredible.
I was wary and hopeful going into this one. I knew there was a sort of triangle (which isn't my favourite) but I really hoped it would be sorted fairly early on. It was and it wasn't, and I won't say more than that!
There are so many great characters in here, and shifters/magic I've not seen used before. The Rat King? Oh man, absolutely brilliant! *kisses fingers like a French chef*
After reading this, I'm feeling very greedy and want stories for ALL the characters. In fact, I feel like Gollum, I wants them; I needs them!
A brilliant start to the series, set in a world that is both fantastical and believable, that will leave you wanting more. Absolutely recommended by me.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* 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!
Oct 6, 2021
Now, being as this paranormal, you might assume that insta-love and fated mates are involved. Well, nope. You'd be wrong. Insta-lust is involved but, hey, you don't have to read paranormal to get that! Bash is trying to form an alliance with a neighbouring pack, purely business/sex, with no love involved. Ethan throws a spanner in the works with that by being turned into a vampire. He's very strong but very different from the other vampires, and the pull between Bash and Ethan is incredible.
I was wary and hopeful going into this one. I knew there was a sort of triangle (which isn't my favourite) but I really hoped it would be sorted fairly early on. It was and it wasn't, and I won't say more than that!
There are so many great characters in here, and shifters/magic I've not seen used before. The Rat King? Oh man, absolutely brilliant! *kisses fingers like a French chef*
After reading this, I'm feeling very greedy and want stories for ALL the characters. In fact, I feel like Gollum, I wants them; I needs them!
A brilliant start to the series, set in a world that is both fantastical and believable, that will leave you wanting more. Absolutely recommended by me.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* 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!
Oct 6, 2021
Taking Kinsley
6.0
Rate It
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Kinsley…wants to lose his virginity with the person he feels safest with. His best friend. ...
Contemporary MM Romance Friends to Lovers
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Dissent ( Rise of the Iliri 7) in Books
May 28, 2024
106 of 220
Kindle
Dissent ( Rise of the Iliri 7)
By Auryn Hadley
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Even before Sal joined the Black Blades, they were the best of her country’s elite forces, bred to be ferocious predators and trained to be deadly soldiers. They think as one, feel as one, yet possess their own special abilities--and Sal is their center. Their deepest secret, that the Black Blades are all crossbred iliri, is now out in the open. With the addition of Sal, a purebred iliri, they have become the most deadly creatures on the continent. Now the country that disbanded them needs them to defeat the invading Terrans. Sal desperately wants to defeat the Terrans and their leader, who will stop at nothing to wipe out the iliri. Ironically, saving the country that enslaved her people is the only way to save them.
As the strain begins to show, Sal is trying to let herself lean on the Blades, a band of brothers, some of whom share her bed – and it’s getting really crowded in the bedroom! The more of them there are, the more adorable these guys get, like puppies piled up around a warm fire. Although some of the human males in Sal’s world aren’t quite used to the reverse harem model of family life the iliri favor, the smoking (but tasteful) sex scenes are guaranteed to please readers.
Have you ever read a series that hooks you in from the first word to the last? Where all the books are consistently brilliant? This is mine!! Iwill forever rave about this series. It was never going to be easy going back home especially when she was about to turn it upside down. Sal is an amazing character the love these people have for her is just a joy to read. The world building is brilliant, the characters are so well thought out. I will recommend this series to every fantasy reader it’s just so good.
Kindle
Dissent ( Rise of the Iliri 7)
By Auryn Hadley
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Even before Sal joined the Black Blades, they were the best of her country’s elite forces, bred to be ferocious predators and trained to be deadly soldiers. They think as one, feel as one, yet possess their own special abilities--and Sal is their center. Their deepest secret, that the Black Blades are all crossbred iliri, is now out in the open. With the addition of Sal, a purebred iliri, they have become the most deadly creatures on the continent. Now the country that disbanded them needs them to defeat the invading Terrans. Sal desperately wants to defeat the Terrans and their leader, who will stop at nothing to wipe out the iliri. Ironically, saving the country that enslaved her people is the only way to save them.
As the strain begins to show, Sal is trying to let herself lean on the Blades, a band of brothers, some of whom share her bed – and it’s getting really crowded in the bedroom! The more of them there are, the more adorable these guys get, like puppies piled up around a warm fire. Although some of the human males in Sal’s world aren’t quite used to the reverse harem model of family life the iliri favor, the smoking (but tasteful) sex scenes are guaranteed to please readers.
Have you ever read a series that hooks you in from the first word to the last? Where all the books are consistently brilliant? This is mine!! Iwill forever rave about this series. It was never going to be easy going back home especially when she was about to turn it upside down. Sal is an amazing character the love these people have for her is just a joy to read. The world building is brilliant, the characters are so well thought out. I will recommend this series to every fantasy reader it’s just so good.
Debbiereadsbook (1166 KP) rated Royally Arranged (The Royal Series #2) in Books
May 22, 2024
sometimes, you need to see whats coming at ya!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
This is book 2 in the Royal Series. I have not read book one, Royally Screwed and a quick read of that blurb tells me you don't need to read that one before this. Those characters do not appear in this book. It's also the first book I've read of Mallory's. I'll come back to that.
Rafe needs a wife, a temporary arrangement, while his twin brother, his ELDER twin, gets a clean bill of health. A business arrangement which Astoria enters, with a shelf life to the arrangement. At least it started as such.
I liked this. It follows a proven track: an arranged marriage; they have sex (which wasn't part of the arrangement) there is a major fall out, and then a make up, and all is happy in the world. And sometimes you need to see what's coming at ya, like a freight train, and ain't nothin' you can do to stop it. And I LIKED that in this book!
It's steamy in places, but I didn't find it overly heavy on the smexy times. I didn't find it particularly emotional, either. Rafe lost his wife and son, but you don't FEEL that pain from him.
I think that is what I missed the most in the book: emotional connection. Yes, they have smex and do all the things they are supposed to, but I didn't find an EMOTIONAL connection between them. They do say those three little words, but again, I didn't FEEL the love between them.
As I said, my first book by Mallory. I'd like to delve into the backlist of this author to see if I can find that connection. Might just be how the author writes, is all.
So, because I felt that was missing, I gave this book
4 stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
This is book 2 in the Royal Series. I have not read book one, Royally Screwed and a quick read of that blurb tells me you don't need to read that one before this. Those characters do not appear in this book. It's also the first book I've read of Mallory's. I'll come back to that.
Rafe needs a wife, a temporary arrangement, while his twin brother, his ELDER twin, gets a clean bill of health. A business arrangement which Astoria enters, with a shelf life to the arrangement. At least it started as such.
I liked this. It follows a proven track: an arranged marriage; they have sex (which wasn't part of the arrangement) there is a major fall out, and then a make up, and all is happy in the world. And sometimes you need to see what's coming at ya, like a freight train, and ain't nothin' you can do to stop it. And I LIKED that in this book!
It's steamy in places, but I didn't find it overly heavy on the smexy times. I didn't find it particularly emotional, either. Rafe lost his wife and son, but you don't FEEL that pain from him.
I think that is what I missed the most in the book: emotional connection. Yes, they have smex and do all the things they are supposed to, but I didn't find an EMOTIONAL connection between them. They do say those three little words, but again, I didn't FEEL the love between them.
As I said, my first book by Mallory. I'd like to delve into the backlist of this author to see if I can find that connection. Might just be how the author writes, is all.
So, because I felt that was missing, I gave this book
4 stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
mostlyinpyjamas (13 KP) rated It Only Happens in the Movies in Books
Nov 25, 2017
Another cracker by Holly Bourne
The blurb; Audrey is over romance. Since her parents relationship imploded her mother’s been catatonic, so she takes a cinema job to get out of the house. But there she meets wannabe film-maker Harry.
Nobody expects Audrey and Harry to fall in love as hard and fast as they do. But that doesn’t mean things are easy.
Because real love isn’t like the movies…The greatest love story ever told doesn’t feature kissing in the snow, or racing to airports. It features pain and confusion and hope and wonder, and a ban on cheesy clichés. Oh, and Zombies.
~
I’m a huge fan of Holly Bourne, and with It only happens in the movies she has written another cracker!
It only happens in the movies challenges all those cliches from romantic movies, and the message they give about what love and relationships are like.
Audrey is instantly likeable, positive feminist characters are exactly what’s needed and Holly Bourne writes them so well. Audrey is getting over being dumped after having sex for the first time, trying to cope with her mum having a breakdown, and she’s been distant from her friends since her break up, her life is messy – and then she meets Harry.
Harry, with a reputation for being a player! He doesn’t always understand Audrey’s point of view, and he says the wrong things …
‘You’re not like other girls, are you?
but I like Harry. He tries!
In chapter 25, Audrey and her friend Alice talk about first time sex in a refreshingly honest way and this is, in my opinion, such an important thing to see in young adult books. Some girls, for whatever reason, don’t have someone they can talk about these things with, and I feel that it’s such a good thing that authors such as Holly Bourne are putting it out there.
I’ve read a number of feminist YA books this week, and I’m so pleased that they are being written. Conversations about consent, sexism, misogyny and rape culture are so important and these books help to get the message out there.
Excerpt from the book ; Men in films regularly kiss women who don’t want to be kissed. And those are supposed to be the good kisses. Either the woman is taken by surprise, or storming off in a mood, or having a huge go at them, or is engaged to somebody else, or claims she’s just plain Not Interested. And,how do men in movies respond to this clear instruction of “no”? They grab the woman’s face, and kiss her anyway. Roughly. Using their masculine force. And rather than being slapped or even arrested, these movie men are rewarded for their… well… sexual violence. The women “give into” the kiss after a brief moment of fighting it. You see, according to Hollywood, these women wanted to be kissed all along. It was just the male lead’s job to break through the barriers. Barriers like WILFUL CONSENT. Outside Hollywood movies, there is a term for being kissed against your will. This term isn’t “spontaneous” or “romantic” or “passionate”. No, it’s called sexual assault. It’s a crime punishable in the UK by up to ten years in prison.
~
Holly Bourne writes about feminist issues without being patronising and without telling her readers that we should hate all men.
If I’ve made it sound at all like It only happens in the movies is all feminist messages and no story then I must add that it’s entirely not that at all.
I enjoyed the story so much that I read it over a weekend, staying up far too late because I just couldn’t put it down. There’s plenty of drama, humour, and some lovely, touching moments! The ending – although it was perfect – exactly the way this story was meant to end – broke me. I cried actual tears.
Love isn’t just a feeling. Love is a choice too. And you may not be able to help your feelings, but you are responsible for the choices you make about what to do with them. (From It only happens in the movies).
Nobody expects Audrey and Harry to fall in love as hard and fast as they do. But that doesn’t mean things are easy.
Because real love isn’t like the movies…The greatest love story ever told doesn’t feature kissing in the snow, or racing to airports. It features pain and confusion and hope and wonder, and a ban on cheesy clichés. Oh, and Zombies.
~
I’m a huge fan of Holly Bourne, and with It only happens in the movies she has written another cracker!
It only happens in the movies challenges all those cliches from romantic movies, and the message they give about what love and relationships are like.
Audrey is instantly likeable, positive feminist characters are exactly what’s needed and Holly Bourne writes them so well. Audrey is getting over being dumped after having sex for the first time, trying to cope with her mum having a breakdown, and she’s been distant from her friends since her break up, her life is messy – and then she meets Harry.
Harry, with a reputation for being a player! He doesn’t always understand Audrey’s point of view, and he says the wrong things …
‘You’re not like other girls, are you?
but I like Harry. He tries!
In chapter 25, Audrey and her friend Alice talk about first time sex in a refreshingly honest way and this is, in my opinion, such an important thing to see in young adult books. Some girls, for whatever reason, don’t have someone they can talk about these things with, and I feel that it’s such a good thing that authors such as Holly Bourne are putting it out there.
I’ve read a number of feminist YA books this week, and I’m so pleased that they are being written. Conversations about consent, sexism, misogyny and rape culture are so important and these books help to get the message out there.
Excerpt from the book ; Men in films regularly kiss women who don’t want to be kissed. And those are supposed to be the good kisses. Either the woman is taken by surprise, or storming off in a mood, or having a huge go at them, or is engaged to somebody else, or claims she’s just plain Not Interested. And,how do men in movies respond to this clear instruction of “no”? They grab the woman’s face, and kiss her anyway. Roughly. Using their masculine force. And rather than being slapped or even arrested, these movie men are rewarded for their… well… sexual violence. The women “give into” the kiss after a brief moment of fighting it. You see, according to Hollywood, these women wanted to be kissed all along. It was just the male lead’s job to break through the barriers. Barriers like WILFUL CONSENT. Outside Hollywood movies, there is a term for being kissed against your will. This term isn’t “spontaneous” or “romantic” or “passionate”. No, it’s called sexual assault. It’s a crime punishable in the UK by up to ten years in prison.
~
Holly Bourne writes about feminist issues without being patronising and without telling her readers that we should hate all men.
If I’ve made it sound at all like It only happens in the movies is all feminist messages and no story then I must add that it’s entirely not that at all.
I enjoyed the story so much that I read it over a weekend, staying up far too late because I just couldn’t put it down. There’s plenty of drama, humour, and some lovely, touching moments! The ending – although it was perfect – exactly the way this story was meant to end – broke me. I cried actual tears.
Love isn’t just a feeling. Love is a choice too. And you may not be able to help your feelings, but you are responsible for the choices you make about what to do with them. (From It only happens in the movies).
Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated Dead Perfect in Books
Apr 27, 2018
My Summary: Shannah is going to die. She has a blood disease that none of the doctors can identify, and she only has months to live. She’s on her last month, possibly her last week… she hates to think it’s her last day, but it sure feels like it. She has been watching the strange tall, dark (and hansom) man for several months, and is convinced that he is a vampire (though she’s not exactly sane when she makes that decision). She goes to him seeking immortality, but collapses in near death on his front porch. When she wakes up, she feels better. What did he do that healed her? She’s not a vampire, but even the doctors couldn’t heal her… then there’s the fact that she’s pretty sure that she’s falling in love with him. but Ronan’s healing doesn’t last forever… and Shannah has to make a hard choice.
Ronan is five hundred and thirteen years old. He has never loved anyone in his life, but when Shannah comes to his door he takes her into his house and begins to heal her in his own special way. But then he accidentally falls in love with her. That causes problems—when your mortal soulmate is going to die soon and she isn’t sure she wants to be a leach her whole life. If he changes her against her will, will she hate him forever? Are his only choices letting her die and losing her, or changing her and losing her?
And then there’s that whole problem with a vampire hunter tracking down Ronan… and trying to kill him.
My Thoughts—at first glimpse, this seemed so twilight-ish. But once I started reading it I got out of my vampire stereotype and enjoyed this book quite a lot. I was at the library and dying for a light-hearted vampire romance (because I was just in that mood) so I picked it up. It’s a very quick read, and very sweet.
The Plot—the plot moved quickly, though at one point a thought crossed my mind, “there isn’t much story here, how is the author dragging it out into 345 pages and is still managing to keep it interesting?” although the plot seemed a little simple, it held my attention very well.
The Characters—I loved the characters in this book. Shannah was depicted as a desperate-to-do-anything-to-keep-alive kind of girl, to the point that she was willing to live with a vampire. Ronan had so much passion and love for this poor girl that it made him endearing. I love how he’d always call her “love.” It was so sweet. Jim Hewitt, the hunter, was a character that you just didn’t like one bit—a strong willed jerk who, although he thought he was doing the right thing, even that he was doing it to keep Shannah safe, I didn’t like him and I felt sorry for him. Though, in my opinion, I liked what happened to him at the end ;)
The writing—There were a lot of really good descriptions in this book, I was able to see everything that the author said in beautiful detail. There wasn’t any graphic sex, though there were a few scenes at the end, but it was brief. There were a few re-used phrases in the book though, and that gets annoying. (My sister and I call this the JMG Syndrome, or “Jenny McGrady” syndrome, because of a series we read when we were younger. Jenny was always feeling “like she got slugged in the stomach”. The phrase was used several times in all fifteen books. It got old really fast.) Shannah had many kissed “brushed across her brow” in this book. But besides that, the writing was warm and welcoming.
My Recommendation: I recommend this book to anyone who likes a good paranormal romance, vampires, or just a romance in general. Ages 16+, only because of the frequency of sex at the end of the book (though I will say that the vampire held fast to abstinence, so that was encouraging.) there wasn’t any foul language, and I really liked that! I hate books that have so much language that I feel dirty reading it. But this book was very clean.
~Haleyknitz
Ronan is five hundred and thirteen years old. He has never loved anyone in his life, but when Shannah comes to his door he takes her into his house and begins to heal her in his own special way. But then he accidentally falls in love with her. That causes problems—when your mortal soulmate is going to die soon and she isn’t sure she wants to be a leach her whole life. If he changes her against her will, will she hate him forever? Are his only choices letting her die and losing her, or changing her and losing her?
And then there’s that whole problem with a vampire hunter tracking down Ronan… and trying to kill him.
My Thoughts—at first glimpse, this seemed so twilight-ish. But once I started reading it I got out of my vampire stereotype and enjoyed this book quite a lot. I was at the library and dying for a light-hearted vampire romance (because I was just in that mood) so I picked it up. It’s a very quick read, and very sweet.
The Plot—the plot moved quickly, though at one point a thought crossed my mind, “there isn’t much story here, how is the author dragging it out into 345 pages and is still managing to keep it interesting?” although the plot seemed a little simple, it held my attention very well.
The Characters—I loved the characters in this book. Shannah was depicted as a desperate-to-do-anything-to-keep-alive kind of girl, to the point that she was willing to live with a vampire. Ronan had so much passion and love for this poor girl that it made him endearing. I love how he’d always call her “love.” It was so sweet. Jim Hewitt, the hunter, was a character that you just didn’t like one bit—a strong willed jerk who, although he thought he was doing the right thing, even that he was doing it to keep Shannah safe, I didn’t like him and I felt sorry for him. Though, in my opinion, I liked what happened to him at the end ;)
The writing—There were a lot of really good descriptions in this book, I was able to see everything that the author said in beautiful detail. There wasn’t any graphic sex, though there were a few scenes at the end, but it was brief. There were a few re-used phrases in the book though, and that gets annoying. (My sister and I call this the JMG Syndrome, or “Jenny McGrady” syndrome, because of a series we read when we were younger. Jenny was always feeling “like she got slugged in the stomach”. The phrase was used several times in all fifteen books. It got old really fast.) Shannah had many kissed “brushed across her brow” in this book. But besides that, the writing was warm and welcoming.
My Recommendation: I recommend this book to anyone who likes a good paranormal romance, vampires, or just a romance in general. Ages 16+, only because of the frequency of sex at the end of the book (though I will say that the vampire held fast to abstinence, so that was encouraging.) there wasn’t any foul language, and I really liked that! I hate books that have so much language that I feel dirty reading it. But this book was very clean.
~Haleyknitz
Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated Sanctuary in Books
Apr 27, 2018
rating: 3.8/5
My Summary: Lea is a refugee who has survived for the past few months living in the wild and traveling from house to random house, just trying to stay alive. When she is found, ill, by American soldiers and taken care of and healed, she has a choice—leave the soldiers and spend the winter by herself, homeless, with no protection in the middle of a war, or trade sex for protection and safety from Major Russell. She chooses the exchange. But Lea and Russell both are not prepared for the outcome of the bargain—Love. Lea and Russell are married, and try to build a real relationship from their original bargain. Can they make it work…
Thoughts: I really hate it when a book has what I call “happy-land syndrome—” where everything works out nicely, relationships are smooth and when they’re rough their fixed quickly and painlessly, and everyone lives happily ever after. This book does have a happily ever after of some sort, but it most certainly does not have happy-land syndrome. This book was a picture of a real marriage—the ups, the downs, the arguments, the forgiveness. There were clear differences between passion, lust, and love (which is always refreshing), and there were arguments the way real arguments happen. There was pride, there was sympathy, and there was forgiveness.
There was a lot of humor in this book! Now mind you it was not a “funny” book, but there were some very good funny pieces of dialogue.
Plot: This book didn’t have a complicated plot, or any huge unexpected occurrences. It was a “simple” story line—but it was a very addicting read. That’s not to say that everything that happened was dull or boring or expected, it just means it was definitely not a sitting-on-the-edge-of-your-seat kind of romance. It was more like a cuddle-up-with-a-cup-of-tea-and-a-blanket kind of romance. It flowed smoothly, and the pacing was very good—not to fast, not too slow. The only thing about the pacing was that the part where they realized that they’d fallen in love didn’t feel like any kind of climax. Which could have been the point, as it did sort of happen slowly.
Characters: I liked the fact that the characters in this book were like real people—they had their strengths and weaknesses, their qualities and their flaws. Lea was stubborn and rebellious, and not at all submissive to her husband, yet she was a sweet and kind girl, and was willing to make sacrifices for Russell. Russell was a very kind man to Lea, and his protective attitude was appealing, however his language and his anger were his downfalls.
Writing: The writing in this book was good. It wasn’t fantastically breathtaking (J.K. Rowling, Robert Frost, Paolini, Dostoyevsky etc.), it wasn’t mediocre (Stephenie Meyer, Becca Fitzpatrick) and it wasn’t atrocious (Meg Cabot.). I can’t really place it in any of those categories. It sort of fell between the first two. It was very readable, it wasn’t dull and empty of good words with barely acceptable sentence structure, but it wasn’t something that sounded like poetry read aloud either. Again, very readable.
Content: There was a lot of sex in this book. I mean, it’s a romance about a girl who trades her body in exchange for being kept alive by a horny soldier, and I expected it, so I’m not saying I was surprised. I think it could have still been a very good powerful romance without all the details. I skipped a few paragraphs here and there. There was also a lot of language. And yes, it is the military, after all. Soldiers swear. They did in the book, too. I guess some people aren’t bothered by stuff like that in books. It wasn’t so bad that I wanted to stop reading, but I thought some of the words (and again, details) could have been left out and the book would have been just as good.
Recommendation: Ages 16+ at least, and wait until you’re 18 if you are picky about content. I rate high for the wonderfully relatable and realistic characters, high-ish for my enjoyment, and medium for plot and writing.
Click here to read the first chapter of Sanctuary.
My Summary: Lea is a refugee who has survived for the past few months living in the wild and traveling from house to random house, just trying to stay alive. When she is found, ill, by American soldiers and taken care of and healed, she has a choice—leave the soldiers and spend the winter by herself, homeless, with no protection in the middle of a war, or trade sex for protection and safety from Major Russell. She chooses the exchange. But Lea and Russell both are not prepared for the outcome of the bargain—Love. Lea and Russell are married, and try to build a real relationship from their original bargain. Can they make it work…
Thoughts: I really hate it when a book has what I call “happy-land syndrome—” where everything works out nicely, relationships are smooth and when they’re rough their fixed quickly and painlessly, and everyone lives happily ever after. This book does have a happily ever after of some sort, but it most certainly does not have happy-land syndrome. This book was a picture of a real marriage—the ups, the downs, the arguments, the forgiveness. There were clear differences between passion, lust, and love (which is always refreshing), and there were arguments the way real arguments happen. There was pride, there was sympathy, and there was forgiveness.
There was a lot of humor in this book! Now mind you it was not a “funny” book, but there were some very good funny pieces of dialogue.
Plot: This book didn’t have a complicated plot, or any huge unexpected occurrences. It was a “simple” story line—but it was a very addicting read. That’s not to say that everything that happened was dull or boring or expected, it just means it was definitely not a sitting-on-the-edge-of-your-seat kind of romance. It was more like a cuddle-up-with-a-cup-of-tea-and-a-blanket kind of romance. It flowed smoothly, and the pacing was very good—not to fast, not too slow. The only thing about the pacing was that the part where they realized that they’d fallen in love didn’t feel like any kind of climax. Which could have been the point, as it did sort of happen slowly.
Characters: I liked the fact that the characters in this book were like real people—they had their strengths and weaknesses, their qualities and their flaws. Lea was stubborn and rebellious, and not at all submissive to her husband, yet she was a sweet and kind girl, and was willing to make sacrifices for Russell. Russell was a very kind man to Lea, and his protective attitude was appealing, however his language and his anger were his downfalls.
Writing: The writing in this book was good. It wasn’t fantastically breathtaking (J.K. Rowling, Robert Frost, Paolini, Dostoyevsky etc.), it wasn’t mediocre (Stephenie Meyer, Becca Fitzpatrick) and it wasn’t atrocious (Meg Cabot.). I can’t really place it in any of those categories. It sort of fell between the first two. It was very readable, it wasn’t dull and empty of good words with barely acceptable sentence structure, but it wasn’t something that sounded like poetry read aloud either. Again, very readable.
Content: There was a lot of sex in this book. I mean, it’s a romance about a girl who trades her body in exchange for being kept alive by a horny soldier, and I expected it, so I’m not saying I was surprised. I think it could have still been a very good powerful romance without all the details. I skipped a few paragraphs here and there. There was also a lot of language. And yes, it is the military, after all. Soldiers swear. They did in the book, too. I guess some people aren’t bothered by stuff like that in books. It wasn’t so bad that I wanted to stop reading, but I thought some of the words (and again, details) could have been left out and the book would have been just as good.
Recommendation: Ages 16+ at least, and wait until you’re 18 if you are picky about content. I rate high for the wonderfully relatable and realistic characters, high-ish for my enjoyment, and medium for plot and writing.
Click here to read the first chapter of Sanctuary.
Movie Metropolis (309 KP) rated Red Sparrow (2018) in Movies
Jun 10, 2019
Never entertaining, frequently repugnant
Director Francis Lawrence and Hollywood sweetheart Jennifer Lawrence (they are no relation, I’ve checked) aren’t a new combination when it comes to film-making.
In fact, Francis Lawrence may have kick-started the world’s love affair with the young actress after he directed her in the best Hunger Games movie, Catching Fire.
They both went on to finish the saga with Mockingjay’s two instalments and the rest as they say, is box office magic.
Here though, they both take on a very different project, aimed at a very different group of movie fans. Red Sparrow is the first hard-hitting thriller of 2018. But is it any different from the plethora of films already out there in the genre?
Prima ballerina Dominika Egorova (Jennifer Lawrence) faces a bleak and uncertain future after she suffers an injury that ends her career. She soon turns to Sparrow School, a secret intelligence service that trains exceptional young people to use their minds and bodies as weapons. Egorova emerges as the most dangerous Sparrow after completing the sadistic training process. As she comes to terms with her new abilities, Dominika meets Joel Edgerton’s CIA agent Nate Nash (yes really) who tries to convince her that he is the only person she can trust.
The film starts off very promisingly as the audience are treated to a beautifully choreographed opening that follows Lawrence at the height of her dancing fame and Edgerton as he goes about an assignment. Both characters don’t intertwine at this point, and as the music builds to a crescendo we realise both their nights are about to go very wrong. It’s nicely filmed, if a little Black Swan–esque. Unfortunately, this impressive crescendo signals something else, the start of a downhill slope for Red Sparrow.
For a film marketed as a classy, adults-only thriller, Red Sparrow has very little in the way of class, despite the inclusion of Jennifer Lawrence. Her acting, as usual is sublime, minus her at times dreadful Russian accent and the rest of the cast do their best with Edgerton coming across well, but the rest of the film is just such a mess. Jeremy Irons feels incredibly miscast as a Russian General and the script by Justin Haythe is borderline incomprehensible.
The overuse of graphic violence and sex really does it no favours. There’s only so many times you can watch Lawrence be raped without wondering what the hell the film-makers thought they were doing and one (thankfully consensual) sex scene will have your eyes rolling in the back of your head: not out of pleasure, but out of absurdity.
It really begs the question: why did Lawrence pick such a bizarre choice of role in the first place?
Then there’s the action, or lack thereof. Where films like Atomic Blonde stylised the violence and the action to create a particular aesthetic, Red Sparrow just doesn’t. The limited amount of action that is presented to the audience is lazily filmed and worlds apart from director Francis Lawrence’s excellent work on the Hunger Games series.
Sure, the sets are lavish and the globetrotting that Lawrence gets to do is pleasant enough, but we’ve seen it all before and done much, much better. The production has a very staid quality that isn’t befitting of its director and its leading lady.
The final act twists that piece together everything that has come before is 30 minutes too late. At 140 minutes long, Red Sparrow is an absolute behemoth of a film but there is no reason whatsoever for it to be this long. Had it been thrilling and entertaining it could have gotten away with it – unfortunately it drags continuously from beginning to end.
Overall, Red Sparrow is a real dud that even the talents of Jennifer Lawrence can’t save. Not only is it never entertaining and frequently repugnant, it really begs the question: why did Lawrence pick such a bizarre choice of role in the first place? If it’s to escape her Katniss Everdeen persona she’s succeeded, but this could make movie studios think twice about casting her in projects in the future.
https://moviemetropolis.net/2018/03/07/red-sparrow-review-never-entertaining-frequently-repugnant/
In fact, Francis Lawrence may have kick-started the world’s love affair with the young actress after he directed her in the best Hunger Games movie, Catching Fire.
They both went on to finish the saga with Mockingjay’s two instalments and the rest as they say, is box office magic.
Here though, they both take on a very different project, aimed at a very different group of movie fans. Red Sparrow is the first hard-hitting thriller of 2018. But is it any different from the plethora of films already out there in the genre?
Prima ballerina Dominika Egorova (Jennifer Lawrence) faces a bleak and uncertain future after she suffers an injury that ends her career. She soon turns to Sparrow School, a secret intelligence service that trains exceptional young people to use their minds and bodies as weapons. Egorova emerges as the most dangerous Sparrow after completing the sadistic training process. As she comes to terms with her new abilities, Dominika meets Joel Edgerton’s CIA agent Nate Nash (yes really) who tries to convince her that he is the only person she can trust.
The film starts off very promisingly as the audience are treated to a beautifully choreographed opening that follows Lawrence at the height of her dancing fame and Edgerton as he goes about an assignment. Both characters don’t intertwine at this point, and as the music builds to a crescendo we realise both their nights are about to go very wrong. It’s nicely filmed, if a little Black Swan–esque. Unfortunately, this impressive crescendo signals something else, the start of a downhill slope for Red Sparrow.
For a film marketed as a classy, adults-only thriller, Red Sparrow has very little in the way of class, despite the inclusion of Jennifer Lawrence. Her acting, as usual is sublime, minus her at times dreadful Russian accent and the rest of the cast do their best with Edgerton coming across well, but the rest of the film is just such a mess. Jeremy Irons feels incredibly miscast as a Russian General and the script by Justin Haythe is borderline incomprehensible.
The overuse of graphic violence and sex really does it no favours. There’s only so many times you can watch Lawrence be raped without wondering what the hell the film-makers thought they were doing and one (thankfully consensual) sex scene will have your eyes rolling in the back of your head: not out of pleasure, but out of absurdity.
It really begs the question: why did Lawrence pick such a bizarre choice of role in the first place?
Then there’s the action, or lack thereof. Where films like Atomic Blonde stylised the violence and the action to create a particular aesthetic, Red Sparrow just doesn’t. The limited amount of action that is presented to the audience is lazily filmed and worlds apart from director Francis Lawrence’s excellent work on the Hunger Games series.
Sure, the sets are lavish and the globetrotting that Lawrence gets to do is pleasant enough, but we’ve seen it all before and done much, much better. The production has a very staid quality that isn’t befitting of its director and its leading lady.
The final act twists that piece together everything that has come before is 30 minutes too late. At 140 minutes long, Red Sparrow is an absolute behemoth of a film but there is no reason whatsoever for it to be this long. Had it been thrilling and entertaining it could have gotten away with it – unfortunately it drags continuously from beginning to end.
Overall, Red Sparrow is a real dud that even the talents of Jennifer Lawrence can’t save. Not only is it never entertaining and frequently repugnant, it really begs the question: why did Lawrence pick such a bizarre choice of role in the first place? If it’s to escape her Katniss Everdeen persona she’s succeeded, but this could make movie studios think twice about casting her in projects in the future.
https://moviemetropolis.net/2018/03/07/red-sparrow-review-never-entertaining-frequently-repugnant/