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Ariadne GPS
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There are hundreds of gps apps. Do we really need one more? Ariadne GPS is more than a simple gps...
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A powerful and user-friendly volleyball stats app that everyone will be talking about! Volleyball...
Ace (Moonshine Task Force #4)
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Ace is saving lives and mending hearts....... Anthony “Ace” Bailey I’m not a rules...
American Star. Jackie Collins
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Featuring a brand new introduction from bestselling author, Isabelle Broom, talking about what...
Bachelorx: a Nonbinary Memoir
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When nonbinary Orpheus leaves their much-loved asexual partner Tobi after 35 years, they have never...
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Debbiereadsbook (1764 KP) rated Secretary's Obsession (Obssessions #4) in Books
Feb 26, 2025
Loving these!!
I was gifted my copy of this book.
This is book 4 in the Obsessions series, and I STRONGLY recommend that you read the previous 3 books, or the very least, book 1, Demon's Obsession. Scott is Dakata's assistant in that book.
Scott is a demon, a small blue one at that. His family thought him lacking in all things. So Scott makes up for that by being the BEST assistant he can, by being in control of every little detail. George is a bear shifter of the highest lineage. But he choose to walk away from his nutty father and drives a taxi near the forest. When he gets sideswiped and ends up in hospital, George meets his blissful one, but the pair are mismatched in many ways. Then George goes missing and Scott's demon loses it.
What I especially loved about this one, was the complete opposites that Scott and George are, but George is so flipping patient with Scott and his OCD about everything, once he understands WHY Scott is this way. It takes time for them to actually talk about things, and I liked that they were both willing to make this work. Even if the talking thing takes some time!
I disliked both sets of parental units. Scott's especially was a nasty piece of work towards Scott and George. George's male unit was just a freaking power tripping nutter who wanted George's *insert correct word so it gets approved* to continue on the lineage that the nutter could not do himself, since ALL his other children were girls and George the only male. (did you get my meaning?? :-p) Loved that Scott, and indeed George, stood up to said male units and both male units gets their comeuppence!
There is some overlapping with Christa's Obsession, since Christa disappears for a time but no one is worried. We know where she was ;-p if you read that book.
While steamy and smexy, this one concentrates more on the emotions between these two, rather than the physical. And I loved that.
But what I'm loving the most about these books, is this: at the end of each one, we get a snippet of Asmodeous, the demon king and what's going on with him and his blissful one, even if, at this point, he's denying the connection. I just cannot wait for him to be pulled down a peg or two by said blissful one, and you know it's gonna be glorious!
5 wonderful stars and I can't wait for the next one!
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
This is book 4 in the Obsessions series, and I STRONGLY recommend that you read the previous 3 books, or the very least, book 1, Demon's Obsession. Scott is Dakata's assistant in that book.
Scott is a demon, a small blue one at that. His family thought him lacking in all things. So Scott makes up for that by being the BEST assistant he can, by being in control of every little detail. George is a bear shifter of the highest lineage. But he choose to walk away from his nutty father and drives a taxi near the forest. When he gets sideswiped and ends up in hospital, George meets his blissful one, but the pair are mismatched in many ways. Then George goes missing and Scott's demon loses it.
What I especially loved about this one, was the complete opposites that Scott and George are, but George is so flipping patient with Scott and his OCD about everything, once he understands WHY Scott is this way. It takes time for them to actually talk about things, and I liked that they were both willing to make this work. Even if the talking thing takes some time!
I disliked both sets of parental units. Scott's especially was a nasty piece of work towards Scott and George. George's male unit was just a freaking power tripping nutter who wanted George's *insert correct word so it gets approved* to continue on the lineage that the nutter could not do himself, since ALL his other children were girls and George the only male. (did you get my meaning?? :-p) Loved that Scott, and indeed George, stood up to said male units and both male units gets their comeuppence!
There is some overlapping with Christa's Obsession, since Christa disappears for a time but no one is worried. We know where she was ;-p if you read that book.
While steamy and smexy, this one concentrates more on the emotions between these two, rather than the physical. And I loved that.
But what I'm loving the most about these books, is this: at the end of each one, we get a snippet of Asmodeous, the demon king and what's going on with him and his blissful one, even if, at this point, he's denying the connection. I just cannot wait for him to be pulled down a peg or two by said blissful one, and you know it's gonna be glorious!
5 wonderful stars and I can't wait for the next one!
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Midnight Mass in TV
Nov 11, 2021
It's a rare thing indeed that I'm left in stunned silence when the credits start to to roll. Midnight Mass was one of those occasions (actually, due to its episodic format, this happened more than once)
This limited series is pretty much perfect in every way. For starters, every single piece of dialogue feels important. There are plenty of lengthy moments of talking, and most of these scenes are completely engaging, dripping with character development. In fact, every character we see throughout the show is given just the right amount of backstory, and I found myself profusely invested in all of them. The way these characters are crafted lead to a plethora of emotional moments. By the time the final scene rolls around, I was exhausted, but in a good and wholly fulfilling way.
The narrative in wonderfully paced. The horror element is present from the start, but is subtle to begin with, focusing on the island setting and the people that live there. The mysteries of the plot are drip fed and intriguing. When the twist and turns start to hit, it gives way to an unsettling horror-thriller with religion right at the centre. I'm a sucker for religious horror, and Midnight Mass is surely the new reigning champion of this particular sub genre. The way that this small island town finds themselves in the grip of a "full blown religious revival" as one of the characters puts it, manages to feel miraculous, warming, and eventually terrifying, all at once. Spearheading said revival is Father Paul, one of the most charismatic bastards ever commited to screen, and portrayed with aplomb by Hamish Linklater. He chews up every scene he is in and delivers some staggering monologues. His right hand, Bev Keane, is another highlight. Samantha Sloyan gives us hugely contemptible antagonist. The whole cast is nothing short of excellent, but these two in particular steal the whole show.
On top of all of this, every episode is shot beautifully. It's stunning to look at from start to finish. The music score is fantastic as well, especially the hymns. The use of them leads to some overwhelmingly powerful moments (especially in the final episode), and all of these positives combined result in a bonafide masterpiece.
It's clear that this was a passion project for Mike Flanagan in the way that it's so lovingly put together. He just keeps proving himself over and over again, and I can't give enough praise to both him, and Midnight Mass, and he's one of a fair few modern directors that ensure that the future of horror is bright indeed.
This limited series is pretty much perfect in every way. For starters, every single piece of dialogue feels important. There are plenty of lengthy moments of talking, and most of these scenes are completely engaging, dripping with character development. In fact, every character we see throughout the show is given just the right amount of backstory, and I found myself profusely invested in all of them. The way these characters are crafted lead to a plethora of emotional moments. By the time the final scene rolls around, I was exhausted, but in a good and wholly fulfilling way.
The narrative in wonderfully paced. The horror element is present from the start, but is subtle to begin with, focusing on the island setting and the people that live there. The mysteries of the plot are drip fed and intriguing. When the twist and turns start to hit, it gives way to an unsettling horror-thriller with religion right at the centre. I'm a sucker for religious horror, and Midnight Mass is surely the new reigning champion of this particular sub genre. The way that this small island town finds themselves in the grip of a "full blown religious revival" as one of the characters puts it, manages to feel miraculous, warming, and eventually terrifying, all at once. Spearheading said revival is Father Paul, one of the most charismatic bastards ever commited to screen, and portrayed with aplomb by Hamish Linklater. He chews up every scene he is in and delivers some staggering monologues. His right hand, Bev Keane, is another highlight. Samantha Sloyan gives us hugely contemptible antagonist. The whole cast is nothing short of excellent, but these two in particular steal the whole show.
On top of all of this, every episode is shot beautifully. It's stunning to look at from start to finish. The music score is fantastic as well, especially the hymns. The use of them leads to some overwhelmingly powerful moments (especially in the final episode), and all of these positives combined result in a bonafide masterpiece.
It's clear that this was a passion project for Mike Flanagan in the way that it's so lovingly put together. He just keeps proving himself over and over again, and I can't give enough praise to both him, and Midnight Mass, and he's one of a fair few modern directors that ensure that the future of horror is bright indeed.
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated House of Gucci (2021) in Movies
Dec 7, 2021
If there was ever the perfect example of an incredible cast stuck inside a lackluster finished product, then House of Gucci is surely it.
The pacing is the main culprit. The first 45 minutes or so feel relatively breezy. The narrative unfolding is a fun and interesting one. The characters are all introduced well enough. But something happens around the midpoint that makes HoG feel like a slog, and it never quite recovers. For a story that has a very specific final destination, it manages to feel direction-less for quite a bit of the runtime. By the time the credits rolled, I felt like I'd run a marathon through thick mud.
The saving grace then, is the aforementioned cast. Lady Gaga turns in a magnificent performance, further cementing that she belongs in cinema. I've said before, and I'll say it again, I fucking love Adam Driver in pretty much everything he touches, and here is no different. The two leads together go a long way to ensure that HoG remains watchable. Al Pacino and Jeremy Irons could play these kind of roles in their sleep by now but their presence here is a welcome one. There's a specific scene somewhere within the first hour (I think) where it's just the two of them talking to eachother about their respective offspring, and it's like screen crack for me. Two masters at work. Then there's Jared Leto, who's portrayal of Paolo Gucci could definitely be deemed as excessive, full on Mario-esque accent and all, but he actually provides a huge dash of charisma in the duller moments so I can't complain too much.
All of the characters in this story are bad people to varying levels of degree, but they also command a certain level of sympathy, and to HoG's credit, this aspect is executed well, and 100% sold by it's great talent.
House of Gucci is nice to look at, boasts a top drawer ensemble cast, and has some genuine moments of excellence, but it's also overblown and overstuffed with hot air. I saw another review on here saying that it felt like it was made with the sole and transparent purpose of winning Oscars, and I can completely agree with that statement. Ridley Scott has made some of my absolute favourite films over the years, and while it does have its merits and is fun in parts, this one sadly feels a little self indulgent to really hit the mark.
The pacing is the main culprit. The first 45 minutes or so feel relatively breezy. The narrative unfolding is a fun and interesting one. The characters are all introduced well enough. But something happens around the midpoint that makes HoG feel like a slog, and it never quite recovers. For a story that has a very specific final destination, it manages to feel direction-less for quite a bit of the runtime. By the time the credits rolled, I felt like I'd run a marathon through thick mud.
The saving grace then, is the aforementioned cast. Lady Gaga turns in a magnificent performance, further cementing that she belongs in cinema. I've said before, and I'll say it again, I fucking love Adam Driver in pretty much everything he touches, and here is no different. The two leads together go a long way to ensure that HoG remains watchable. Al Pacino and Jeremy Irons could play these kind of roles in their sleep by now but their presence here is a welcome one. There's a specific scene somewhere within the first hour (I think) where it's just the two of them talking to eachother about their respective offspring, and it's like screen crack for me. Two masters at work. Then there's Jared Leto, who's portrayal of Paolo Gucci could definitely be deemed as excessive, full on Mario-esque accent and all, but he actually provides a huge dash of charisma in the duller moments so I can't complain too much.
All of the characters in this story are bad people to varying levels of degree, but they also command a certain level of sympathy, and to HoG's credit, this aspect is executed well, and 100% sold by it's great talent.
House of Gucci is nice to look at, boasts a top drawer ensemble cast, and has some genuine moments of excellence, but it's also overblown and overstuffed with hot air. I saw another review on here saying that it felt like it was made with the sole and transparent purpose of winning Oscars, and I can completely agree with that statement. Ridley Scott has made some of my absolute favourite films over the years, and while it does have its merits and is fun in parts, this one sadly feels a little self indulgent to really hit the mark.
Beckie Shelton (40 KP) rated The Marriage Pact in Books
Oct 6, 2017
Now, this was a strange one, interesting but a bit wacky in its concept.
The marriage pact by Michelle Richmond was surprisingly good, The author has found a unique idea and evolved it from there.
With some surprising twists and turns that I didn't see coming this was a refreshing contribution to the psychological genre and I only had minor issues and niggles that pulled this down slightly for me.
So the marriage Pact involves newlywed's Jake and Alice who receive an enticing gift from one of Alice's Clients at the law firm she works at.
"The Pact"
It is designed to keep couples happy and fulfilled in their marriages, the rules seem to make sense and The Pact seems harmless in its intentions.
Initially impressed Alice and Jake start to realise there is more at stake than they realise as their dreams start to evolve into nightmares.
And no one leaves "THE PACT" ever.
So let me break this down for you first three-quarters of The Marriage Pact I loved, the story flowed, it was well written and my only minor criticism would be sometimes Jake could waffle on a tad too much with his inner monologue and I found this a touch irritating and longwinded.
Then came the last quarter, not sure what happened here but I really was not feeling it, the whole visit Orla at her home seemed unnecessary and a bit boring to me.
I would have really preferred another direction to be taken and a bit more of a pro-active stance applied here rather than talking.
Then came the ending, this is where my main issue lies, it was just so anti-climatic and blah and after all Jake's moralistic stances he just walks away, leaving the corruption behind for someone else to deal with.
I'm not saying he's wrong to do this, I just find it mildly surprising after listening to Jakes Inner moral compass throughout The Marriage Pact that he just abandons all his principles and jumps ship.
I would also have liked to see inside Alice's head as well, she was such a diverse character with so much to offer and I felt we didn't get to know her properly in her entirety.
So this was such a page-turner and even with the issues I've described, I have to give this a Four star as It was such compelling reading.
This was such an interestingly unique story that I would definitely recommend Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the Author Michelle Richmond for providing me with an Arc of The Marriage Pact, this is my own honest unbiased opinion.
Arc Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.beckiebookworm.com/
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/9460945-bex-beckie-bookworm
The marriage pact by Michelle Richmond was surprisingly good, The author has found a unique idea and evolved it from there.
With some surprising twists and turns that I didn't see coming this was a refreshing contribution to the psychological genre and I only had minor issues and niggles that pulled this down slightly for me.
So the marriage Pact involves newlywed's Jake and Alice who receive an enticing gift from one of Alice's Clients at the law firm she works at.
"The Pact"
It is designed to keep couples happy and fulfilled in their marriages, the rules seem to make sense and The Pact seems harmless in its intentions.
Initially impressed Alice and Jake start to realise there is more at stake than they realise as their dreams start to evolve into nightmares.
And no one leaves "THE PACT" ever.
So let me break this down for you first three-quarters of The Marriage Pact I loved, the story flowed, it was well written and my only minor criticism would be sometimes Jake could waffle on a tad too much with his inner monologue and I found this a touch irritating and longwinded.
Then came the last quarter, not sure what happened here but I really was not feeling it, the whole visit Orla at her home seemed unnecessary and a bit boring to me.
I would have really preferred another direction to be taken and a bit more of a pro-active stance applied here rather than talking.
Then came the ending, this is where my main issue lies, it was just so anti-climatic and blah and after all Jake's moralistic stances he just walks away, leaving the corruption behind for someone else to deal with.
I'm not saying he's wrong to do this, I just find it mildly surprising after listening to Jakes Inner moral compass throughout The Marriage Pact that he just abandons all his principles and jumps ship.
I would also have liked to see inside Alice's head as well, she was such a diverse character with so much to offer and I felt we didn't get to know her properly in her entirety.
So this was such a page-turner and even with the issues I've described, I have to give this a Four star as It was such compelling reading.
This was such an interestingly unique story that I would definitely recommend Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the Author Michelle Richmond for providing me with an Arc of The Marriage Pact, this is my own honest unbiased opinion.
Arc Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.beckiebookworm.com/
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/9460945-bex-beckie-bookworm