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Lindsay (1779 KP) rated Old Loves Die Hard ( Mac Faraday Mystery #2) in Books
Sep 7, 2017
Old Love, Die Hard is done well. You get to meet up with Mac’s Ex Wife. The mystery starts once she is in town. There are two murders once Mac takes his ex-wife to this penthouse in Spencer Inn.
Did Mac do the murders? Did his ex-wife go and killed her lover? There is not much going on. Who is behind all the murders. We meet or at least learn about his two children. Who would murder Mac two children mother?
Lauren Carr is one talented writer. She brings you along to find out who the killer is. One thing I love about her mysteries is that you never know who the murderer is? I have read a few of her books already and reviewed a few of them. You are welcome to read my reviews that are part of this audio book palooza. My reviews are Cancelled Vows, A Fine Year for Murder, Killer in the Band, The Murders at Astaire Castle, Candidate for Murder, 3 Days to Forever, Kill and Run. We do see what Mac is up to and we also got David O'Callaghan in being the chief of police. Lauren Carr series are all interconnected which is cool. You can read them as stand alone as well.
Did Mac do the murders? Did his ex-wife go and killed her lover? There is not much going on. Who is behind all the murders. We meet or at least learn about his two children. Who would murder Mac two children mother?
Lauren Carr is one talented writer. She brings you along to find out who the killer is. One thing I love about her mysteries is that you never know who the murderer is? I have read a few of her books already and reviewed a few of them. You are welcome to read my reviews that are part of this audio book palooza. My reviews are Cancelled Vows, A Fine Year for Murder, Killer in the Band, The Murders at Astaire Castle, Candidate for Murder, 3 Days to Forever, Kill and Run. We do see what Mac is up to and we also got David O'Callaghan in being the chief of police. Lauren Carr series are all interconnected which is cool. You can read them as stand alone as well.
Bubblesreview (110 KP) rated A Note Of Madness in Books
Feb 9, 2019
Mental health awareness (1 more)
Likeable chapters
This novel was the authors debut, for a debut novel it's well written and flows fairly well. The portrayal of bipolar disorder / manic depression is realistically unsettling. It really shows how damaging a misdiagnosis could be and the serious effect of being dismissed. To avoid spoilers I'm not going to say if this story ends with a happy or an unfortunate end. I will advise you NOT to read this if you suffer from a mental illness and are triggered easily, this could be a serious trigger.
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Following on, although I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and really appreciate the mental health awareness in it which is a rare find in a book, I found this a hard one to score higher than 7/10. This is solely due to the fact that the chapters are long, ranging on average at about 25+ pages. This made it difficult to stay focused and I found myself having to read back a couple of pages to recap. This is completely my own problem as I enjoy shorter chapters and I really dislike stopping half way through a chapter.
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Overall I 100% recommend this book. It's very underrated and deserves more awareness
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Following on, although I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and really appreciate the mental health awareness in it which is a rare find in a book, I found this a hard one to score higher than 7/10. This is solely due to the fact that the chapters are long, ranging on average at about 25+ pages. This made it difficult to stay focused and I found myself having to read back a couple of pages to recap. This is completely my own problem as I enjoy shorter chapters and I really dislike stopping half way through a chapter.
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Overall I 100% recommend this book. It's very underrated and deserves more awareness
Sarah (7800 KP) rated Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (2019) in Movies
May 3, 2019
Well done and gripping
I can't lie, whilst I know of Ted Bundy I dont know the details about everything he did, so I found this film to be really gripping and informative. Ted Bundy is truly a fascinating individual, its almost unbelievable that after so many years on death row he wa still proclaiming his innocence. Zac Efron isn't someone you'd usually associate with being a good actor but he plays Ted very well. He has the right amount of charm and looks but beneath that you can still see the simmering sinister murderous side. Just goes to show Efron can act in something serious after all.
The rest of the supporting cast too are very good, and the entire film moves along a fairly decent pace. This is one film that definitely can't be accused of dragging, but for me its maybe a little too short. I feel like they could have elaborated or gone into more details, especially those that didnt occur during the timeline of the film. However I suppose that wouldn't make sense as this is the story of Liz and her time with Bundy. But still, for me I would've liked a little bit more although its still a very intriguing and enthralling film with some very good acting.
The rest of the supporting cast too are very good, and the entire film moves along a fairly decent pace. This is one film that definitely can't be accused of dragging, but for me its maybe a little too short. I feel like they could have elaborated or gone into more details, especially those that didnt occur during the timeline of the film. However I suppose that wouldn't make sense as this is the story of Liz and her time with Bundy. But still, for me I would've liked a little bit more although its still a very intriguing and enthralling film with some very good acting.
Dan sellwood (1 KP) rated Dreams and Shadows in Books
Feb 2, 2018
Fantastic debut
Contains spoilers, click to show
A wonderful debut from C. Robert Cargill. The novel follows the lives of two boys, Ewan and Colby. Both boys have a fantastical journey ahead of them, Ewan is stolen by fairies from his parents at an early age by a specialist child stealing fairy (Dithers) and Colby meets a djinn (Yashar) who agrees to grant him wishes which leads him to see the world.
While sounding at first like a magical fairy story you soon realise the story does carry a certain sadness and darkness. The djinn for example is cursed to only ever grant wishes that end in turmoil. You learn this through small chapters that centre around telling stories about the characters in the book, which I found to be a wonderful way to build chacterisation.
Despite being quite dark the book does well to build on characters enough so that you do find yourself getting attached to them. So not only are the characters well thought through but they bring enough personality and emotion to evoke lots of feeling in the reader.
While I don't promise this book will bring you a happy ending, its hard to put down and will certainly have you wanting to move on to the sequel.
While sounding at first like a magical fairy story you soon realise the story does carry a certain sadness and darkness. The djinn for example is cursed to only ever grant wishes that end in turmoil. You learn this through small chapters that centre around telling stories about the characters in the book, which I found to be a wonderful way to build chacterisation.
Despite being quite dark the book does well to build on characters enough so that you do find yourself getting attached to them. So not only are the characters well thought through but they bring enough personality and emotion to evoke lots of feeling in the reader.
While I don't promise this book will bring you a happy ending, its hard to put down and will certainly have you wanting to move on to the sequel.
Merissa (13398 KP) rated The Handoff (Big Play, #3) in Books
Dec 17, 2018
In the third instalment of the Big Play series, we meet Finn in more detail. He is the cool, collected, one that has been there for Colt and Mack throughout. When Mack goes to New Zealand, he asks Finn to keep an eye on his sister as he feels that she is not quite herself. Finn wants to say no but doesn't. Instead, he ends up helping Layla in more ways than he could ever have imagined, and as a result, sees her as a completely different person. Due to Finn's support, Layla changes herself and finds courage when she thought she had none.
With hints being given with the overall story arc, as well as snippets pertaining to Layla directly, this is a wonderful addition. Well written, full of emotion and gripping situations and characters, this is guaranteed to draw you in to their story. You will be with Layla and Finn every step of the way, encouraging them to carry on when it seems too hard.
This is one of those series that I absolutely can't wait for the next book, but that is also bittersweet as I know it's the last one. Highly recommended.
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
With hints being given with the overall story arc, as well as snippets pertaining to Layla directly, this is a wonderful addition. Well written, full of emotion and gripping situations and characters, this is guaranteed to draw you in to their story. You will be with Layla and Finn every step of the way, encouraging them to carry on when it seems too hard.
This is one of those series that I absolutely can't wait for the next book, but that is also bittersweet as I know it's the last one. Highly recommended.
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Merissa (13398 KP) rated Desires of a Mage (Mages of the Nether, #2) in Books
Dec 17, 2018
Desires of a Mage follows Marcus as he becomes bored with being a bodyguard for Daniel and Aiden. He wants more, but doesn't appear to be able to get it. Edmond is from a scholarly house, more suited to teaching than fighting. These two have a history but Marcus broke it off for reasons unknown. All does become clear as the story progresses though, I promise you.
With meddling families, traitors in the mix, unrequited love, there is plenty of action going on. I was very pleased when things were cleared up with Tullia, but a bit disappointed when left with a hint that things still weren't in the clear regarding Camelia. There is plenty in here to move this story along, as well as laying the groundwork for future stories, full of intrigue.
This is well written, with a smooth and easy flow to it. I would recommend that you read it as part of a series, rather than a standalone, but have no hesitation at all in recommending it completely.
*A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and my comments here are my honest opinion.*
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
With meddling families, traitors in the mix, unrequited love, there is plenty of action going on. I was very pleased when things were cleared up with Tullia, but a bit disappointed when left with a hint that things still weren't in the clear regarding Camelia. There is plenty in here to move this story along, as well as laying the groundwork for future stories, full of intrigue.
This is well written, with a smooth and easy flow to it. I would recommend that you read it as part of a series, rather than a standalone, but have no hesitation at all in recommending it completely.
*A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and my comments here are my honest opinion.*
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Danielle Chaplin (81 KP) rated The Girl in Red in Books
Jun 21, 2019
Very enjoyable
I was exceedingly excited to read this book and was a little disappointed that it didn't live up to my very high expectations of it but I think that was just because I felt that the story didn't really fit in with the Little Red Riding Hood story except for a girl in red going to grandma's house.
The story itself is really well written and I loved the characters in the story, I wasn't keen on the book going back and forth from present to the past and back again but I don't really like this setup in books in general. I thought the book would explain more about what had happened but it did leave some really big questions that were never answered in the end. I love that Henry uses a lot of 'damaged' characters in her books, from those with a mental illness to Red being an amputee, as she displays them as strong characters that deserve to be treated with respect and that they can be just as inspiring as those without disabilities.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book but it didn't really seem to fit in as well as her other books.
The story itself is really well written and I loved the characters in the story, I wasn't keen on the book going back and forth from present to the past and back again but I don't really like this setup in books in general. I thought the book would explain more about what had happened but it did leave some really big questions that were never answered in the end. I love that Henry uses a lot of 'damaged' characters in her books, from those with a mental illness to Red being an amputee, as she displays them as strong characters that deserve to be treated with respect and that they can be just as inspiring as those without disabilities.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book but it didn't really seem to fit in as well as her other books.
Merissa (13398 KP) rated Divine Challenges (Rise of the Stria #2) in Books
Jan 20, 2020
DIVINE CHALLENGES is the second book in the Rise of Stria trilogy, and we return to Evainne and Kahl as they try to figure out... well, everything, really. Their relationship is still early days but it's amazing how fast something moves when your life is being threatened every which way! I love Evainne's sass and Kahlym's protectiveness; even when he does the wrong thing, his heart is in the right place.
Lots of different players in this one and the action is non-stop once again. The best bit for me is although there are new players, the old ones remain and become even more loved than they were in book one. So easy to see their different personalities now!
This was an amazing read that kept me glued to the page. I will admit a guilty pleasure of re-reading book one, just so I could continue without any gaps. It is exceedingly well-written, with fantastic world- and character-building, and the pacing is perfect, with plenty of action and tender moments. It does end on one helluva cliffhanger, so fair warning. As for me, I can't wait to get the last book and finish off this outstanding story. Highly recommended!
Lots of different players in this one and the action is non-stop once again. The best bit for me is although there are new players, the old ones remain and become even more loved than they were in book one. So easy to see their different personalities now!
This was an amazing read that kept me glued to the page. I will admit a guilty pleasure of re-reading book one, just so I could continue without any gaps. It is exceedingly well-written, with fantastic world- and character-building, and the pacing is perfect, with plenty of action and tender moments. It does end on one helluva cliffhanger, so fair warning. As for me, I can't wait to get the last book and finish off this outstanding story. Highly recommended!
Sarah (7800 KP) rated His Bloody Project in Books
Apr 21, 2020
Intriguingly realistic
I saw this advertised on my library service and I'm a sucker for an interesting looking cover so thought I'd give it a go and it was a rather pleasant surprise.
This is a very realistic and intriguing tale - so realistic that I had to double check to see if I was reading a non-fiction rather than a fiction. But it's definitely not true, and it goes to show how well written and laid out this is that it makes you feel like it's a true story. The structure works very well and despite being set in olden times with slightly old fashioned language, it never comes across as particularly difficult or tedious to read. It's an engaging crime story and keeps you entertained right to the end to find out the full story. Even Roddy Macrae is a likeable protagonist despite his crimes.
My only issue is that the ending is a bit of a letdown. This story turns out exactly the way you'd expect and I think I may have been expecting some sort of twist or surprise. Despite this, it's still a very entertaining and enjoyable read and a different way to tell a story.
This is a very realistic and intriguing tale - so realistic that I had to double check to see if I was reading a non-fiction rather than a fiction. But it's definitely not true, and it goes to show how well written and laid out this is that it makes you feel like it's a true story. The structure works very well and despite being set in olden times with slightly old fashioned language, it never comes across as particularly difficult or tedious to read. It's an engaging crime story and keeps you entertained right to the end to find out the full story. Even Roddy Macrae is a likeable protagonist despite his crimes.
My only issue is that the ending is a bit of a letdown. This story turns out exactly the way you'd expect and I think I may have been expecting some sort of twist or surprise. Despite this, it's still a very entertaining and enjoyable read and a different way to tell a story.
Charles Bukowski
Book
In this new interpretation of the life and work of the American poet, short-story writer and...