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Ishmael (30 KP) rated Absolver in Video Games

Sep 9, 2017  
Absolver
Absolver
2017 | Fighting
It is a quiet soothing game that is engrossing and addictive. A highly developed combat system allow real time combat and strategic concepts to support each other. (0 more)
Released on Aug 27, 2017 there may be some tweaks to be made, still very engaging game (0 more)
Soothing Combat..?!..
There are no guns in Absolver. Set in the ruins of a great city, you are a prospective (prospect) monk (absolver) Your first task either alone or with others is to seek out the Marked Ones and defeat them. This is the only way you will gain the title of Absolver. The artwork is stylized and sparse. The game leaves the player with the minimum instructions to navigate through the city. The prospect can choose from three different fighting styles. Each style has four directional stances and moves that available in that stance and direction. The player builds her combat moves in a strategic manner called a combat deck. This game is a blast and soothing at the same time. Note.. it can be played with a keyboard and mouse or a game controller. It is available for pc and ps4 and can be downloaded through Steam
  
LA
Live and Let Fly (Kite Shop Mystery #2)
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
There’s a kite contest coming to town, and Emmy Adler has pinned her hopes on winning. She thinks that the fame will drive people to her website and help her shop survive the upcoming winter. The judge is, Jasmine Normand, a local who gained fame on a reality show, and Emmy has a run in with her in the weeks leading up to the contest. When Jasmine turns up dead, a tabloid starts insinuating that Emmy had something to do with the death. Can she learn the truth and save her reputation?

Emmy’s town is a wonderful Oregon beach side town, and the atmosphere makes me want to settle in for a vacation. The mystery starts out strong, but loses some steam in the middle before coming back to life for a great climax. Emmy is learning some patience, and it shows in this book. I enjoyed seeing her and the rest of the returning characters again. The new cast of characters are just as strong.

NOTE: I received a copy of this book.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/12/book-review-live-and-let-fly-by-clover.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
  
All Soul's Night is a mixed bag of steam and spice! Every story is linked to the others by the Venetian Masked Ball on All Soul's Night, and some characters have cameos in either the story before or after, which gave it a great feeling of continuity.

Most of the stories are M/F but His Vampire Morsel by Lesli Richardson is MM and Once Bitten, Twice Shy by Arial Burnz is M/M/F. All of them are set in the world of the Midnight Doms so expect plenty of BDSM. Some are more 'hardcore' than others but all of them are HOT!

As with all anthologies, there were some I liked more than others but the two I've already mentioned were my favourites of the lot. Some new-to-me authors that I will definitely be seeking out more titles from.

All in all, a great read and absolutely recommended by me.

* 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!
  
Fantastic Expedition of Dillard &amp; Clark by Gene Clark / Dillard &amp; Clark / Doug Dillard
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"This well known 1968 album is a pun on the fantastic expedition of Lewis and Clark, the famous leaders of the USA's 'Corps of Discovery' who were the first east coast Americans to successfully negotiate the north west passage to the Pacific Ocean in the early 19th century. Of course this ties in beautifully to the John Evans story featured in American Interior - Lewis and Clark used the maps he created between 1795-7 (whilst searching for a mythical tribe of Welsh speaking First Nation Americans) for the first year of their expedition. There's a keen sense of the rhythm of exploration on this fantastic record. Dillard's peerless banjo picking could easily power a steam boat up the Missouri River and Clark's melancholic musings on songs like 'Train Leaves Here This Morning' give a clear sense of long distance travel and loss. Meanwhile a team of proto Country Rock greats including Bernie Leadon, Sneaky Pete and Chris Hillman play away busily in the background, setting the benchmark for the mellow mountain sound that would dominate the airwaves the world over in the following years."

Source
  
10 Erotic Short Stories Vol.1
10 Erotic Short Stories Vol.1
Goran Radanovic | 2021 | Erotica
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
does what its supposed to!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

10 erotic-themed stories including BDSM, cuckold, threesomes and infidelity.

That is what the blurb says, and that is what you get!

These stories are short and steamy and sexy and they all come with a bit of a twist. I didn't see them coming with the first few but after that, I took to seeing what that twist would be and mostly? I was wrong!

The only thing is, I know they were short, it says the book is 60 odd pages and for ten stories in those 60 odd pages, they have got to be short. And for ME, they were just a tad TOO short, you know? I was just getting into the tale, and boom, its done.

I found them steamy enough, without being too over the top. The steam level I would put at 4 out 5.

BUT!

For delivering exactly what it says on the tin, and giving me a delightful, sexy read between 2 much longer, heavier books...

4 stars

*same worded review will appear elsewhere
  
Taking Kinsley
Taking Kinsley
Clayton Holt | 2023 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
TAKING KINSLEY is about two best friends who have been attracted to each other for over a decade and yet have never made a move.

This is a long book and, as such, it seems to take quite some time for anything to happen with any part of the story. Personally, I feel this should be tightened up as it did seem to drag in places. When Kinsley and Luke are actually together, the steam is high, but the constant mis- or non-communication makes it a little stagnant.

Told mainly from Luke's point of view, you nevertheless have Kinsley butting in for a paragraph or two before it reverting back to Luke with no clear way of seeing who it is actually speaking.

On the whole, this was a good story but is in need of editing to tighten it up and sort out those pesky spelling errors.

** 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; the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Oct 29, 2023
  
Aeromancist: The Beginning (7 Forbidden Arts #2)
Aeromancist: The Beginning (7 Forbidden Arts #2)
Charmaine Pauls | 2015 | Paranormal, Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Beginning tells us the start (obviously) of Lann and Katherine's relationship - oops, sorry, I mean a 30-day contract. I'm not sure who Lann is trying to convince when he says it will only be for this amount of time, but I didn't believe him!

The relationship between Kat and Lann was instantly hot, but I loved that Kat was a strong female from the start, and wasn't just going to give in without at least a token resistance! There is plenty of steam within these pages, so be prepared for some heat.

This is only a novella, that just details the 30 days, however, it was absolutely brilliant and I loved every word. It gives a detailed account of the attraction between these two, how they are with each other, pushing boundaries whilst respecting the same.

Can't wait to read the continuation of their story. Highly recommended.

* 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!
Jan 23, 2016
  
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Merissa (11800 KP) rated Plaything (My Kinky Housemate #2) in Books

Apr 13, 2022 (Updated Jun 26, 2023)  
Plaything (My Kinky Housemate #2)
Plaything (My Kinky Housemate #2)
Colette Davison | 2022 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
PLAYTHING is the second book in the My Kinky Housemate series and definitely best read after Sugar Bunny. In this one, we learn more about one half of the twins, Beau, and Fraser.

There is a slight crossover at the beginning as Oscar is moving out, but then they're on their own. The relationship between Beau and Fraser changes from housemates -- to playing -- to something a whole lot more serious. The sex side stays full of fun and steam. This is sweet without giving you a toothache.

Although I was carried away with this story, it didn't quite push as many buttons for me as Oscar's story did. So, for me, this would be a 3.5-star read, although I've rounded it up for the blog and for Goodreads.

Perfectly paced with lots of interplay between the housemates, more than in book one. Definitely a good addition to the series and 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!
Apr 8, 2022
  
The Blue Veil (Seven Deadly Veils #1.5)
The Blue Veil (Seven Deadly Veils #1.5)
Diana Marik | 2022 | Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
THE BLUE VEIL is a novella that sits between the first and second books in the Seven Deadly Veils series and we meet up with Miranda and Remare once again. One of Valadon's paintings has gone missing and Remare wants to find it before Valadon returns home.

This was a brilliant novella, with everything you could wish for... there are attacks by Rogues, steam enough to fill a sauna, and delving into the underworld of illegal auctions. It was also full of emotion and I devoured every word.

I am looking forward to reading the next book and hope for a HEA for Miranda and Remare! I also want one for Valadon, as he's not a bad guy, just infatuated with Miranda when it's clear he's not the one for her. Definitely recommended but I would suggest you start with Book One first, as it details instances that you will need to know about.

** 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; the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Feb 13, 2024
  
Dead by Daylight
Dead by Daylight
2016 | Action
Genuinely fun & thrilling (2 more)
Survive with Friends & Kill Your Friends modes are both fun
Steep learning curve that rewards skilled players
Riddled with bugs and easily exploited (2 more)
Toxic community
Useless ranking system
Fun horror themed multiplayer action
It's been almost a year since DBD was first released and for me it's been a year of both joy and frustration. I love the game, it's still one of my favorites, and it's an absolute blast to play with friends. The developers have made signifcant progress since launch in terms of fixing bugs, rebalancing mechanics, and adding content both to keep the game fresh but also to improve the quality of life for both survivors and killers. When I first started it was genuinely tense until I got used to the game, and the Halloween update last year brought back the old scares at least for a little while even for relatively seasoned players. It's nice to see that the dev team is still actively working on the game.

With that said, while I recommend this game I do so cautiously. On release the game was riddled with bugs and had serious issues with the queue system, and while some of the issues with both of those things have been fixed there are still some glaring problems that don't seem to have any easy fixes. The game can be easy to abuse and there have been problems in the past with cheaters and bots (thankfully not so much anymore). Game lobbies are peer to peer which means that survivors will be at the mercy of the other person's internet connection. There is a ranking system that means next to nothing as there are no end of season rewards, just a steam achievement and bragging rights.

Add in the fact that this game is extremely competitive, you'll pretty regularly run into some salty people. You get killers that camp, survivors that abuse infinites, and on occasion the random angry messages and trash talk on steam. A good number of the folks I used to play with ended up rage quitting for one reason or another, so this game can have that effect on folks.

Overall though, I still enjoy DBD on occasion, I like to see the new stuff that gets added or fixed. While the bugs, occasional long queue times, and lag can be extremely frustrating at times I feel that the good outweighs the bad. As long as you don't take it too seriously and just have fun it can be a really enjoyable, especially with the right people.