Search
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated The Travelers in Books
Sep 8, 2021
147 of 250
Book
The Travelers
By Chris Pavone
Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments
It’s 3:00am. Do you know where your husband is?
Meet Will Rhodes: travel writer, recently married, barely solvent, his idealism rapidly giving way to disillusionment and the worry that he’s living the wrong life. Then one night, on assignment for the award-winning Travelers magazine in the wine region of Argentina, a beautiful woman makes him an offer he can’t refuse. Soon Will’s bad choices—and dark secrets—take him across Europe, from a chateau in Bordeaux to a midnight raid on a Paris mansion, from a dive bar in Dublin to a mega-yacht in the Mediterranean and an isolated cabin perched on the rugged cliffs of Iceland. As he’s drawn further into a tangled web of international intrigue, it becomes clear that nothing about Will Rhodes was ever ordinary, that the network of deception ensnaring him is part of an immense and deadly conspiracy with terrifying global implications—and that the people closest to him may pose the greatest threat of all.
It’s 3:00am. Your husband has just become a spy.
I can appreciate where and what the author was trying to do but this just didn’t grab me at all! It was a hard slog through. Two stars may seem a bit mean and I would encourage people to at least give it a go especially if you enjoy spy novels.
Book
The Travelers
By Chris Pavone
Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments
It’s 3:00am. Do you know where your husband is?
Meet Will Rhodes: travel writer, recently married, barely solvent, his idealism rapidly giving way to disillusionment and the worry that he’s living the wrong life. Then one night, on assignment for the award-winning Travelers magazine in the wine region of Argentina, a beautiful woman makes him an offer he can’t refuse. Soon Will’s bad choices—and dark secrets—take him across Europe, from a chateau in Bordeaux to a midnight raid on a Paris mansion, from a dive bar in Dublin to a mega-yacht in the Mediterranean and an isolated cabin perched on the rugged cliffs of Iceland. As he’s drawn further into a tangled web of international intrigue, it becomes clear that nothing about Will Rhodes was ever ordinary, that the network of deception ensnaring him is part of an immense and deadly conspiracy with terrifying global implications—and that the people closest to him may pose the greatest threat of all.
It’s 3:00am. Your husband has just become a spy.
I can appreciate where and what the author was trying to do but this just didn’t grab me at all! It was a hard slog through. Two stars may seem a bit mean and I would encourage people to at least give it a go especially if you enjoy spy novels.
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Spells of Breath and Blade (Tarot Academy #2) in Books
Sep 28, 2021
162 of 250
Kindle
Spells of Breath and Blade ( Tarot Academy book 2)
By Sarah Piper
Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments
I spent my whole life believing magick was a curse - and that I didn't have enough of it to worry about, anyway.
Turns out I was wrong on both counts.
I'm so much more than a magick-blessed Academy student. I'm an Arcana Witch, bound to a sacred order whose sole duty is to protect magick - and one another - at all costs.
Thankfully, I'm not alone.
My Arcana magick brought four fiercely loyal, impossibly sexy Arcana mages into my life.
But it also brought trouble.
Corrupt Academy officials. Mysterious attacks stripping students of their power. And the terrifying Dark Arcana - five insanely powerful ancient beings desperate to reclaim the magick they believe is their sole birthright... and destroy the rest of us.
Our best shot at defeating them is to track down the hidden Arcana artifacts - sacred Tarot relics that bind and balance all magick. But to do that, we'll have to embark on a dangerous otherworldly journey - one that will change us in ways even the Tarot can't predict.
Surviving my first month at Arcana Academy was no easy feat, but compared to what's coming?
That was training day.
This is the real deal.
And the fight is just beginning.
Honestly not much happens until the last chapter. It’s mainly Stevie dealing with the aftermath and putting her relationships right. It was an ok read.
Kindle
Spells of Breath and Blade ( Tarot Academy book 2)
By Sarah Piper
Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments
I spent my whole life believing magick was a curse - and that I didn't have enough of it to worry about, anyway.
Turns out I was wrong on both counts.
I'm so much more than a magick-blessed Academy student. I'm an Arcana Witch, bound to a sacred order whose sole duty is to protect magick - and one another - at all costs.
Thankfully, I'm not alone.
My Arcana magick brought four fiercely loyal, impossibly sexy Arcana mages into my life.
But it also brought trouble.
Corrupt Academy officials. Mysterious attacks stripping students of their power. And the terrifying Dark Arcana - five insanely powerful ancient beings desperate to reclaim the magick they believe is their sole birthright... and destroy the rest of us.
Our best shot at defeating them is to track down the hidden Arcana artifacts - sacred Tarot relics that bind and balance all magick. But to do that, we'll have to embark on a dangerous otherworldly journey - one that will change us in ways even the Tarot can't predict.
Surviving my first month at Arcana Academy was no easy feat, but compared to what's coming?
That was training day.
This is the real deal.
And the fight is just beginning.
Honestly not much happens until the last chapter. It’s mainly Stevie dealing with the aftermath and putting her relationships right. It was an ok read.
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated The Arrival (BirthRight Trilogy #1) in Books
Oct 8, 2021
163 of 250
Kindle
The Arrival ( Birthright trilogy book 1)
By Nicole MacDonald
Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments
Bound by love, drawn by magick, happily ever after won’t come without a fight.
Looking for love, four friends cast a spell. Thrust into a terrifying new world, they find themselves fighting for their lives, until help drops in. Now, alongside the Griffon Guard, they must learn to use powers they never knew they had, to save a world they never knew existed
Love might be an option, but only if they defeat an ancient darkness hell bent on ruling the world...
So I almost gave up on this book 3 times but I thought no give it a chance. It was incredibly hard to read for the first 10 chapters and you never knew what character was talking as it jumped from one to the other with any indication. This drove me crazy!!! But you can feel the authors passion in this book so I thought it deserved a good chance. As you can see it took me a few nights to read. However after saying all the negative there are some major positives!!
The characters are likeable the story line is very good and shows so much promise! Towards the end you become slightly hooked so much so the bloody thing ends on a cliffhanger that had me shouting nooooooo! I do recommend to any readers please stick with it!
Kindle
The Arrival ( Birthright trilogy book 1)
By Nicole MacDonald
Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments
Bound by love, drawn by magick, happily ever after won’t come without a fight.
Looking for love, four friends cast a spell. Thrust into a terrifying new world, they find themselves fighting for their lives, until help drops in. Now, alongside the Griffon Guard, they must learn to use powers they never knew they had, to save a world they never knew existed
Love might be an option, but only if they defeat an ancient darkness hell bent on ruling the world...
So I almost gave up on this book 3 times but I thought no give it a chance. It was incredibly hard to read for the first 10 chapters and you never knew what character was talking as it jumped from one to the other with any indication. This drove me crazy!!! But you can feel the authors passion in this book so I thought it deserved a good chance. As you can see it took me a few nights to read. However after saying all the negative there are some major positives!!
The characters are likeable the story line is very good and shows so much promise! Towards the end you become slightly hooked so much so the bloody thing ends on a cliffhanger that had me shouting nooooooo! I do recommend to any readers please stick with it!
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated A Special Place in Hell: The World’s most Depraved Killers in Books
Nov 15, 2021
189 of 250
Book
A Special Place in Hell: The Worlds Most Depraved Killers
By Christopher Berry-Dee
Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments
Christopher Berry-Dee is the man who talks to serial killers. A world-renowned investigative criminologist, he has gained the trust of murderers across the world, entered their high security prisons, and discussed in detail their shocking crimes. The killers' pursuit of horror and violence is described through the unique audiotape and videotape interviews which Berry-Dee conducted, deep inside the bowels of some of the world's toughest prisons.
Christopher Berry-Dee has collated these interviews into this astounding, disturbing book. Not only does he describe his meetings with some of the world's most evil men and women, he also reproduces, verbatim, their very words as they describe their crimes, allowing the reader a glimpse into the inner workings of the people who have committed the worst crime possible - to mercilessly take the life of another human being.
As compilations go it wasn’t too bad. I got a feeling it wasn’t a book he wanted to write he seemed a little wushu washy in parts of that makes sense. There were a few I’d never heard of in this and that’s why it’s a 3 star instead of a 2 as he seemed quite animated about these select few. I do have a few more of his book in my tbr pile so I will give him an go.
Book
A Special Place in Hell: The Worlds Most Depraved Killers
By Christopher Berry-Dee
Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments
Christopher Berry-Dee is the man who talks to serial killers. A world-renowned investigative criminologist, he has gained the trust of murderers across the world, entered their high security prisons, and discussed in detail their shocking crimes. The killers' pursuit of horror and violence is described through the unique audiotape and videotape interviews which Berry-Dee conducted, deep inside the bowels of some of the world's toughest prisons.
Christopher Berry-Dee has collated these interviews into this astounding, disturbing book. Not only does he describe his meetings with some of the world's most evil men and women, he also reproduces, verbatim, their very words as they describe their crimes, allowing the reader a glimpse into the inner workings of the people who have committed the worst crime possible - to mercilessly take the life of another human being.
As compilations go it wasn’t too bad. I got a feeling it wasn’t a book he wanted to write he seemed a little wushu washy in parts of that makes sense. There were a few I’d never heard of in this and that’s why it’s a 3 star instead of a 2 as he seemed quite animated about these select few. I do have a few more of his book in my tbr pile so I will give him an go.
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Vital Found ( Evelyn Maynard trilogy book 2) in Books
Dec 28, 2021
Contains spoilers, click to show
215 of 250
Kindle
Vital Found (The Evelyn Maynard trilogy book 2)
By Kaydence Snow
Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments
Bradford Hills feels more like home than any other place Evelyn Maynard and her mother lived while on the run. But with everyone reeling from the violent clash between Variants and humans, her new home doesn't feel safe any more.
Navigating four increasingly complicated supernatural bonds in secret doesn't help. Ethan and Josh can't keep their hands off her. Tyler is supportive, but continues to keep her at arm's length. Alec has both saved and destroyed her yet seems oblivious to the turmoil he's caused.
As tensions between Variants and humans continue to escalate, dark and dangerous secrets keep creating seemingly insurmountable challenges.
Who's kidnapping Vitals?
What was Evelyn's mom running from?
Will it ever be safe for Evelyn to go public with her true identity?
More deadly answers are coming, whether she's ready for them or not.
It was good!! This is the second book and mainly concentrated on Evelyn’s relationship with each of the men in her bond and getting them so they were all synced up! She’s trying to deal with this as well as finding a friend, finding out more about her mother which also reveals who her father was! Then dealing with betrayal on top of it all. Lots going on to keep you interested plus we finally get those scenes that have caused so much sexual frustration between the group. Highly recommended.
Kindle
Vital Found (The Evelyn Maynard trilogy book 2)
By Kaydence Snow
Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments
Bradford Hills feels more like home than any other place Evelyn Maynard and her mother lived while on the run. But with everyone reeling from the violent clash between Variants and humans, her new home doesn't feel safe any more.
Navigating four increasingly complicated supernatural bonds in secret doesn't help. Ethan and Josh can't keep their hands off her. Tyler is supportive, but continues to keep her at arm's length. Alec has both saved and destroyed her yet seems oblivious to the turmoil he's caused.
As tensions between Variants and humans continue to escalate, dark and dangerous secrets keep creating seemingly insurmountable challenges.
Who's kidnapping Vitals?
What was Evelyn's mom running from?
Will it ever be safe for Evelyn to go public with her true identity?
More deadly answers are coming, whether she's ready for them or not.
It was good!! This is the second book and mainly concentrated on Evelyn’s relationship with each of the men in her bond and getting them so they were all synced up! She’s trying to deal with this as well as finding a friend, finding out more about her mother which also reveals who her father was! Then dealing with betrayal on top of it all. Lots going on to keep you interested plus we finally get those scenes that have caused so much sexual frustration between the group. Highly recommended.
Morgan Sheppard (926 KP) created a post
Feb 16, 2024
Sarah (7798 KP) rated Disjointed Lives in Books
Jul 20, 2018
An unexpected gem
I won a copy of this in a Smashbomb giveaway (thank you @Smashbomb!) and am now giving my entirely honest and unbiased review.
This is the first time ive read any of Morgan Sheppard’s work, and I can safely say that I will be doing again going forwards. I read this in its entirety on a very long and tedious train journey for work, and I can honestly say it really brightened up my commute!
This is only a short story, but it is very well written with a surprisingly simple premise. On the surface the premise seems almost too basic, but it really works. It’s surprising how effective and interesting a story about someone reciting their past can be. The two main characters are likeable and relatable and I’m sure most readers would recognise parts of themselves in this. The situation and story itself has a lot of relevance to relationships and today’s society.
I do have a couple of criticisms but these are pretty minor. One issue is some of the dialogue comes across as a little stilted and awkward and doesn’t flow quite as well as a normal real life conversation would. My other criticism actually has a massive compliment wrapped up in it - this story is far too short! I enjoyed reading this very much and wasn’t happy when it ended as I wanted more and would happily have read more. I feel like this could have been made into a much longer and more detailed story and it still could’ve been just as good. There’s a lot of potential here!
This is the first time ive read any of Morgan Sheppard’s work, and I can safely say that I will be doing again going forwards. I read this in its entirety on a very long and tedious train journey for work, and I can honestly say it really brightened up my commute!
This is only a short story, but it is very well written with a surprisingly simple premise. On the surface the premise seems almost too basic, but it really works. It’s surprising how effective and interesting a story about someone reciting their past can be. The two main characters are likeable and relatable and I’m sure most readers would recognise parts of themselves in this. The situation and story itself has a lot of relevance to relationships and today’s society.
I do have a couple of criticisms but these are pretty minor. One issue is some of the dialogue comes across as a little stilted and awkward and doesn’t flow quite as well as a normal real life conversation would. My other criticism actually has a massive compliment wrapped up in it - this story is far too short! I enjoyed reading this very much and wasn’t happy when it ended as I wanted more and would happily have read more. I feel like this could have been made into a much longer and more detailed story and it still could’ve been just as good. There’s a lot of potential here!
Akward (448 KP) rated Sea of Thieves in Video Games
Jul 22, 2018 (Updated Jul 22, 2018)
Graphics look great (1 more)
Cooperative
The entire game is a grind (2 more)
Player-vs-player interactions
Basically requires exactly 4 people
Rediculously Not Fun
This game is very, very bad for two reasons:
The entire game is a grind. The quests are all "go get this chicken" or "go kill this one guy." In order to complete the quests, you'll need to sail to a nearby island. But even sailing is a grind. Getting from one place to another requires 1 person steering, 1 person manning the sails, and 1 person on the map. At first, the cooperation is fun, but it gets old very quickly. Once you have completed the quest, you'll be rewarded with roughly 400 gold. Even the cheapest upgrades cost 8000 gold.
That brings us to the other killer: player interaction. While you are completing that quest, you had better hope that you don't run in to another player. Because that other player can easily sink your ship, killing those chickens that you just spent 15 minutes getting. This is likely fun if you are the attacker, but is aggressively unfun if you are the person who just lost an hour's worth of quest progression.
This game is not worth $40. You will be bored after 2 or 3 hours (if you even make it that long, there is no tutorial). It might be worth downloading if you have Gamepass, but even then I do not think that it is worth the space on your hard drive.
By the way, this is the first 1-star review I have ever given on Smashbomb. When I say this is the worst game I've ever played, I mean it.
The entire game is a grind. The quests are all "go get this chicken" or "go kill this one guy." In order to complete the quests, you'll need to sail to a nearby island. But even sailing is a grind. Getting from one place to another requires 1 person steering, 1 person manning the sails, and 1 person on the map. At first, the cooperation is fun, but it gets old very quickly. Once you have completed the quest, you'll be rewarded with roughly 400 gold. Even the cheapest upgrades cost 8000 gold.
That brings us to the other killer: player interaction. While you are completing that quest, you had better hope that you don't run in to another player. Because that other player can easily sink your ship, killing those chickens that you just spent 15 minutes getting. This is likely fun if you are the attacker, but is aggressively unfun if you are the person who just lost an hour's worth of quest progression.
This game is not worth $40. You will be bored after 2 or 3 hours (if you even make it that long, there is no tutorial). It might be worth downloading if you have Gamepass, but even then I do not think that it is worth the space on your hard drive.
By the way, this is the first 1-star review I have ever given on Smashbomb. When I say this is the worst game I've ever played, I mean it.
Fun and great for trivia
I won an IOS App Store Voucher on a Smashbomb giveaway and I purchased the ultimate version of this app using this voucher. I also bought the extra question packs to make it a little more challenging.
I’m a sucker for quizzes and trivia. I love being able to prove my knowledge on topics (or for the most part proving how bad my general knowledge is!) and I can spend hours playing standard and app trivia games. The Chase is one of the better quiz shows on tv at the moment, and my family have quite a soft spot for it. Whenever I go round to my mums, we always have to take time out to watch it and usually end up shouting at the contestants for taking the lower offer...
The app does well to recreate the show. It’s always going to be difficult to exactly copy a quiz show that’s reliant on contestants knowing the answers in some of the rounds, but the app recreates these by giving you multiple choice. Whilst this should make it slightly easier, this isn’t always the case. The chase portion of the show itself is identical to the tv version and is done very well. It’s a very fun game to play, the only downside is that if you play it quite often or a lot, it doesn’t take long for some of the questions to seem familiar and repeat themselves, and it becomes less of a test of what you know, more what you can remember when you’ve answered the question before! But this is a fairly standard problem with all sorts of trivia games.
I’m a sucker for quizzes and trivia. I love being able to prove my knowledge on topics (or for the most part proving how bad my general knowledge is!) and I can spend hours playing standard and app trivia games. The Chase is one of the better quiz shows on tv at the moment, and my family have quite a soft spot for it. Whenever I go round to my mums, we always have to take time out to watch it and usually end up shouting at the contestants for taking the lower offer...
The app does well to recreate the show. It’s always going to be difficult to exactly copy a quiz show that’s reliant on contestants knowing the answers in some of the rounds, but the app recreates these by giving you multiple choice. Whilst this should make it slightly easier, this isn’t always the case. The chase portion of the show itself is identical to the tv version and is done very well. It’s a very fun game to play, the only downside is that if you play it quite often or a lot, it doesn’t take long for some of the questions to seem familiar and repeat themselves, and it becomes less of a test of what you know, more what you can remember when you’ve answered the question before! But this is a fairly standard problem with all sorts of trivia games.
TacoDave (3547 KP) rated Detroit: Become Human in Video Games
Nov 2, 2018 (Updated Nov 2, 2018)
Story (3 more)
Cinematic
Intense
Thought-provoking
Slow-moving (1 more)
A bit too on-the-nose politically
A unique gaming experience, but not necessarily a video game...
I won a copy of Detroit: Become Human here on Smashbomb and I'm really glad I did. I liked David Cage's previous games - specifically The Indigo Prophecy and Heavy Rain - but I wasn't sure about this one. A story about androids being treated badly (an obvious metaphor for racism) didn't intrigue me at first blush, although the demo was pretty good.
But after playing the game, I came away pleasantly surprised. Cage's games are more like interactive movies than full video games, and that's fine with me. It is refreshing to play something that is more about contemplation and decision-making than twitchy reactions. And the stories in Detroit: Become Human were interesting enough to keep me playing.
But be warned: this game isn't for precious snowflakes. It involves violence, crime, death, abuse, and several other topics that might make someone with thinner skin cry out "Trigger Warning!!!" But those are exactly the kinds of topics that deserve contemplation, and this game is a perfect fit for those themes. It also has tons of swearing, if that bothers you. I played with the subtitles on and the sound turned way down when my kids were around.
One other caveat: the gameplay revolves around following on-screen prompts to use the joystick a certain way or push the correct button. If you aren't very familiar with a PS4 controller, I suggest you study the button layout and figure out where everything is so you can react with the right button press when needed.
But after playing the game, I came away pleasantly surprised. Cage's games are more like interactive movies than full video games, and that's fine with me. It is refreshing to play something that is more about contemplation and decision-making than twitchy reactions. And the stories in Detroit: Become Human were interesting enough to keep me playing.
But be warned: this game isn't for precious snowflakes. It involves violence, crime, death, abuse, and several other topics that might make someone with thinner skin cry out "Trigger Warning!!!" But those are exactly the kinds of topics that deserve contemplation, and this game is a perfect fit for those themes. It also has tons of swearing, if that bothers you. I played with the subtitles on and the sound turned way down when my kids were around.
One other caveat: the gameplay revolves around following on-screen prompts to use the joystick a certain way or push the correct button. If you aren't very familiar with a PS4 controller, I suggest you study the button layout and figure out where everything is so you can react with the right button press when needed.