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No Mercy
No Mercy
Martina Cole | 2019 | Crime
4
7.7 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
5 of 220
Book
No Mercy
By Martina Cole
⭐️⭐️

Diana Davis has been head of the family business since the death of her husband, an infamous bank robber. She's a woman in a man's world, but no one messes with her.

Her only son, Angus, is a natural born villain, but he needs to earn Diana's trust before she'll allow him into the business.

Once he's proved he has the brains to run their clubs in Marbella, he is given what he's always wanted. It's the beginning of a reign of terror that knows no bounds.

But Angus has a blind spot: his wife, Lorna, and their three kids, Angus Junior, Sean and Eilish. And as the next generation enters the business, Angus has a painful truth to learn. Even when it comes to family, he must show no mercy...

I honestly normally really enjoy a Martina Cole but this was just lacking that bite you normally get. It was nowhere near as brutal as you expect. Something was definitely off for me with this one. Saying that I still finished it so something kept me reading.
  
Lyric (Love Sync Mates, Season Two)
Lyric (Love Sync Mates, Season Two)
Wendy Rathbone | 2025 | LGBTQ+, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
LYRIC is part of the Love Sync Mates Season Two series. Lyric/Lyrican is an athlete, the best of the best, but he's in pain and Lyrican has had enough. Jinn has his drink spiked and is left with a feral alpha intent on claiming him, even though he doesn't want it. These two meet when Jinn is fleeing in terror and Lyrican is there to protect him.

This is well-paced but fast and, considering Jinn has a feral stalker, is very low angst. I loved how the dragons and the people were distinctly separate beings while still being one and the same. This is the first book in this series (or the first) that I have read and I definitely enjoyed it.

If I had a 'light and fuzzy' shelf, it would take pride of place. A great read that I absolutely recommend.

** 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 22, 2025
  
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Zuky the BookBum (15 KP) rated Sarah in Books

Mar 15, 2018  
Sarah
Sarah
J.T. LeRoy | 2001 | Fiction & Poetry
8
6.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Also read my review here: http://bookbum.weebly.com/book-reviews/sarah-by-jt-leroy

Wow I don't know what to say really.

I think that most people rating this book have judged it based on the author's hoax at claiming this was a true story but if you ignore all that mess, what you find here is a really weird, heart breaking and hilarious novel. I think people need to start looking at this as a stand-alone novel and push the whole scandal to the side to see how brilliant this book actually is.

I wasn't sure why I decided to request this from Netgalley because it's the sort of book I'd normally steer clear of, but I'm glad I left my comfort zone to read this, because it was worth it.

Sarah will take you through every single emotion you can possibly think of, from love to terror to hope and you'll find yourself a bit lost once it's all over. I have another JT LeRoy book to start next, I'm hoping I like it just as much as this.

Thanks to Netgalley and Little Brown Book Group UK for giving me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.
  
The House with a Clock in Its Walls (2018)
The House with a Clock in Its Walls (2018)
2018 | Fantasy, Horror, Mystery
Could've been so much more
I knew relatively nothing about this film but having been impressed by the recent Goosebumps films (not the new sequel), I had fairly high expectations. Sadly it didn't live up to them.

For me this film seemed to be nothing new. I was bored for the most of this and there were only a few parts that I really enjoyed. A lot of the humour and banter between the characters seemed a little too ott and forced and made me cringe more than it made me smile. The effects were alright and there were some truly creepy scenes, just not enough. Cate Blanchett probably saved this, as even Jack Black couldn't bring back the magic he had with RL Stine. And the evil warlock wasn't particularly scary or threatening, and the whole ending was lacking any sort of menacing terror or suspense.

I also spent the entire film thinking the kid was the one from Room (Jacob Tremblay), and wondering why on earth his acting was so bad. The kid was one of the problems in this, I won't lie and his crying was particularly horrendous. And then when the credits rolled I realised it wasn't him after all...
  
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JT (287 KP) rated Brightburn (2019) in Movies

Mar 10, 2020  
Brightburn (2019)
Brightburn (2019)
2019 | Horror
What if superheroes didn’t arrive on earth with the soul purpose of saving humanity? What if their main intention was to cause pain and suffering? This is the unique premise used in Brightburn to great effect and turns the superhero genre on its head.

Kansas couple Tori (Elizabeth Banks) and Kyle Breyer (David Denman) have been desperately trying to have a child, without success. When a mysterious object lands on their property they discover that all of their prayers have been answered – sound familiar? What begins as the perfect family life starts to unravel in sheer terror as their little bundle of joy turns out to be something far sinister, despite their denial that he might just might be a little misunderstood.

“It’s a boy”
I wasn’t sure what to expect with this one, but I was pleasantly surprised by how well it unfolded. There was a solid amount of tension packed with good levels of gore. The jump scare is a staple part of the horror genre but it can become tiresome if not delivered in the right way. Thankfully in this instance it works and works well.

Post credits deliver more to the story which has the potential to spawn a sequel, although I prefer the idea that this is a one off.