Monday, April 29

Blodeuedd's Monday Review: In Her Sights by Katie Ruggle



Unabridged, Listening Length: 9 hours and 50 minutes
Published March 26th 2019 by Tantor Audio
Series: Rocky Mountain Bounty Hunters #1
Narrator: Callie Beaulieu
Romantic suspense
For review

My Thoughts
Why on earth Molly was hating on John I do not know, he was like a sweet teddybear that did everything to protect her. Just let him do it!

And with that I will begin. So my previous Ruggle books have been great, this one was still good, but I guess the couple did not sizzle like previous ones. Mostly cos she tried to get away from him and then suddenly she loved him and like a day had passed. Oh well, it was still fun!

5 sisters. They are bounty hunters. Their mother is a petty criminal and soon she is in trouble. Ugh, what a mother!!! I really hate her. And then sisters have to find her and clear this mess, and catch the biggest bounty of them all.

Molly is the one taking charge. And she crosses paths with her enemy John who is also a bounty hunter. But omg this guy, sweetie! He does all he can to help her.

Explosions, falling in love and catching bad guys. That sums it up. And sisters that hold together no matter what.

Narration
I have listened to her do Ruggle books before and I like her with them. She does them well and get the feel of intensity.

Five bounty-hunting sisters
Deep in the heart of the Rockies
Fighting to save each other
...and the men who steal their hearts


Bounty hunter Molly Pax fought hard for everything she has, turning the bail recovery business she shares with her sisters into an unqualified success. So when their sticky-fingered mother jumps bail and puts the childhood home up as collateral, Molly's horrified. To make matters worse, every two-bit criminal in the Rockies now sees her family's misfortune as their next big break.

She needs help, stat.

Enter rival bounty hunter John Carmondy: six feet of pure trouble, with a cocky grin to match. John's the most cheerfully, annoyingly gorgeous frenemy Molly's ever had the pleasure of defeating...and he may be her only hope of making it out of this mess alive.

Sunday, April 28

Joint Discussion: The Wicked King by Holly Black






Hello all! Blodeuedd and I will be discussing "The Wicked King" by Holly Black. Blodeuedd is in green and I am in blue. 






The Wicked King (The Folk of the Air, #2)Author: Holly Black 
Title: The Wicked King
(The Folk of the Air #2)
Genre: Fantasy, YA
Pages: ebook
Published: January 8th 2019
Where I Got It: Borrowed from the library

You must be strong enough to strike and strike and strike again without tiring.

The first lesson is to make yourself strong.

After the jaw-dropping revelation that Oak is the heir to Faerie, Jude must keep her younger brother safe. To do so, she has bound the wicked king, Cardan, to her, and made herself the power behind the throne. Navigating the constantly shifting political alliances of Faerie would be difficult enough if Cardan were easy to control. But he does everything in his power to humiliate and undermine her even as his fascination with her remains undiminished.

When it becomes all too clear that someone close to Jude means to betray her, threatening her own life and the lives of everyone she loves, Jude must uncover the traitor and fight her own complicated feelings for Cardan to maintain control as a mortal in a Faerie world.


After book 1, which was not great, but good enough, I really wanted to read more. I should not have had those feelings. Instead, I got a big boring mess.

Book 2 had so much promise. So many good reviews. And so much potential! The only good part of the book was the 15%. That was so intense and enthralling! The rest? Meeeehhhhh

I was bored from page 1 and sadly not even the end got me excited. By then I just wanted it to end. But I will say that sure the best part was at the end. Something FINALLY happened. It was like everyone woke from a coma. And I was all good riddance, you all SUCK!

Yess. There was SO much build-up and SO much teasing that something big was going to happen. But then pages would go by and nothing really happened. I had hoped at the very beginning but I was so let down. Sure a couple small things happened but nothing really until the end.

I was not super excited by any of the characters in book 1, but here everyone lost any depth they had. Cardan drunk and said nothing- Jude was the most stupid ass ever, omg, I just want to slap the shit out of her. Where was Madoc? The only interesting person? And omg her sister, please bury her deep. Ugh, I hate them all. This is not how one should feel.

I agree. I did feel bad for Jude at the end, but she was a huge dummy. I could tell you right away who the person was that was going to betray her. The warning wasn’t even needed. She didn’t heed it at all. SMH. Cardan was an ass at the end. Madoc only popped up here and there to be filler. Vivi was terrible to Heather. Not one character I could get behind.

I think the word I am looking for is bitch. Cardan was a whiny bitch. Jude was a stupid bitch who should know better. Vivi was just a bitch. And then we have the twin who I loathe and whose name I forget, silly bitch I will call her cos I do not think she had that many brain cells.

Taryan is her name I think. But grrr!!! She should’ve been tossed in the Tower with Locke. Jude is an idiot. And bitch for all of them is perfect.

I lost all respect for them. Sigh. Why does everyone love this series? I just do not know. There is no chemistry between anyone. I mean are we supposed to root for Cardan and Jude? Euwwww. F that shit!

Ugh. The scene between them...you know which one….was gross. There is NO chemistry. And why are people wanting them to get together? He tried killing her in the first book! He is a horrible, abusive thing. A little boy. I wish that he was locked away in a tower. Madoc should’ve killed him.

50 shades of Fae. It seems to be the norm now, abusive creepy relationships in YA books too.

We should not be teaching our youth this! He is a horrible man/boy/thing. Bleh! Jude is an idiot.

We saw it in Maas, and we see it here. Damn it. Why did I say we should continue!?

Because we had hope. Book 1 was good. Everyone loved this one….and I know I was curious to see what happened. A bad part of me wants to read book 3. But that is the part of me that cannot put down a terrible book and DNF it. LOL I think the normal person calls it...hope?

True. Ok so I hate them all and they should die. But I guess I am curious to see how it all ends. With them all dead. The end.

LOLL. I’m sure some of them are going to end up dead. I have a theory Jude is going to go on a rampage if/when she gets more power.  I have a feeling in my gut and THAT would be fun to watch. Jude losing it! LOL That twin of hers is on the chopping block first.

SHe will kill Madoc, then Cardan and Locke. Her sister, sadly not. And then Taryn kills her! Omg that would be perfect. Ha. And Taryn does get stabbed so she dies too.

Gah! You are right. Taryn will give Jude some sob story. Jude will forgive her and then the moment she turns away Taryn will stab her. SMH. GODS! Jude is a huge dummy. She is so dumb I cannot even believe it. Luckily the book was an ebook I borrowed from the library so I could not throw my phone/kindle. If it had been a paper book I would’ve. IDIOT!!!!!

Right! I  can so see it happening. Sob sob, yes you did kill hubby but it was for the best. Stab stab! Gods, what a dumbass bitch.

Dumbass bitch for sure. That should be Jude’s tagline. LOL

I am glad we disliked it the both of us. I could never have forgiven you if you had fallen in love with it! ;)

Hahaha. I wanted to. I wanted to love it. Like I said… I had hope! The only good part was the last 15%. Sighs.

I guess better luck next time! But with our track record, it will prob be a bad one. Ok so no more fae or ya fantasy for a while.
Agreed. We get ONE good book and then the next 4 or so are terrible. SMH. We are unlucky! And yessssss after this one I need a small break from YA fantasy.

Well, good luck picking a good one! I do not envy you.

Eeeekkkkk! I have hope!

The end! Do not read this series!


The end! I agree 100%! AVOID!


About the Authors
Carole and Blodeuedd have been blogging a long while now. The last couple of years the epic duo have been discussing books, watching movies, and even wetting the pen and sharing their stories with the worldwide web. They both love cats, chocolate, and a good story.





Saturday, April 27

Movie Review: Mary Queen of Scots (2018)



Film Title: Mary Queen of Scots
Mary Queen of Scots PosterLength:  2 hr and 4 min
Released: 2018
Genre:   Biography, Drama, History
Rating: R
Where I Got It: Borrowed copy/freebie from the Delta plane ride 

SUMMARY:

Mary Stuart's attempt to overthrow her cousin Elizabeth I, Queen of England, finds her condemned to years of imprisonment before facing execution.









TRAILER:



REVIEW:


This has been a movie I've wanted to watch for a while now. It came out during my birthday but due to certain events, I was unable to go. Finally had a chance to watch this during my flight to California. Thank you Delta!

I have always been torn between Mary and Elizabeth. They are both so strong, so similar, but oh so different. They both have flaws. Both have strengths. Love them both. Due to history and Mary "losing", she has been overlooked by Elizabeth. The winning side always gets to have the glory. 

I enjoyed the film. Some big historical misses and changing of things, but none of them bugged me too much. There was only one thing I did not like at all and that was near the ending and how they depicted Bothwell at the end there. Not that I'm a huge fan of him and I felt he was slippery eel...IDK....I didn't care for it. Won't say more on that in fear of spoils. 

Loved the costumes. They were lovely. Not 100% accurate, but I liked them a lot. They fit the film and the story. 

The actress who played Mary did well overall. There were times she seemed off and didn't display enough emotion. 

LOVED the actress who played Elizabeth. She was almost as good as Cate Blanchett's interpretation of the role.  She was wonderful. 

The rest of the cast did well. I was thrown off a little with some of the casting choices just for the fact it is not historically accurate at all. But after turning off the "history buff" button, I was able to look past it and enjoy. 

Grrr men! They always ruin everything. Can you imagine if the two were able to get along? Imagine the world! Sighs. 

Overall, I did enjoy this and I want to watch it again. A few historical bumps along the way. And a couple of things that I didn't really like like how they depicted Bothwell. I'll stamp this with 3 stars. 












Friday, April 26

Blog All About it: SWEET






This month's prompt is: SWEET

Ooooo. Sweet. What a fun prompt! 

For this month, I'm going to share a little bit about a new fruit I tried during my trip to California.


BF and I went to Knott's Berry Farm while there. Along with the marketplace, there is an amusement park which is what people typically go to see. We, being the cool kids we are, went to just the marketplace since they were hosting the Boysenberry Festival. They had more stores and stands inside the amusement park, but we didn't want to spend money on rides since we don't really ride them anymore. 

Image result for boysenberryWhat is Boysenberry? I had zero ideas myself, so I was introduced to a new fruit in so many different forms. Here is a huge list of stuff they were selling during the festival. Click here.  We ate a Boysenberry donut, fudge, taffy, and a soda drink. 
It is sweet, but not overly so. It was yummy! We wanted to buy a jam, but planes are so picky so we didn't want to chance it. I actually was able to find a bottle from Knott's Berry Farm on Amazon so I ordered it. It should be arriving in a couple of days. Nom! I'm not crazy about jam, but I bet it is going to be yummy!

Honestly, it was super fun! I highly recommend it. I did the amusement park 10 years ago and that was fun too from what I remember. 








Thursday, April 25

DNF: Wedding of the Season by Laura Lee Guhrke

Wedding of the Season (Abandoned at the Altar, #1)Author: Laura Lee Guhrke
Narrator: Anne Flosnik
Title: Wedding of the Season
(Abandoned at the Altar #1)
Genre: Historical Romance
Pages: Audiobook
Published: December 28th 2010
Where I Got It: My shelf (Audible)



Abandoned at the altar... 

Lady Beatrix Danbury had always known she would marry William Mallory. She'd loved him forever, and she'd never doubted he loved her, too. But when she made him choose between their life together or his lifelong dream, Will chose the latter...and left two weeks before their wedding. 

Return of the duke... 

Will has no illusions that Beatrix would welcome him back with open arms, but six years did not dim his love or desire for her. The only problem is, she's about to marry someone else. Someone safe and predictable...the complete opposite of Will. But can he stop the wedding of the season and win Beatrix back, or is it just too late?

I picked this up because I was looking for a stamp on my HR bingo sheet. Alas, I shall not be stamping for this. 

We have Beatrix and Will. They had once been in love and he abandoned her years ago. Time goes on and she is engaged to another. Of course, he comes around. Maybe not for her, but he happens to come back to find a sponsor for his Egypt stuff. They hate each other because she didn't want to go to Egypt and he left her a the alter. 

Booooo to both of these characters. They are both jerks and I couldn't stand them. They both have points but they were jerks to each other. Especially Will. He is an asshat. I do not believe his feelings were genuine for her. Who knows?

I did not finish. I couldn't move on. I got about halfway and had to walk away. I didn't care to turn this back on. 

The narrator wasn't bad. But she wasn't good enough to keep me listening. 

Overall, this wasn't for me. I could not finish. The two main characters were jerkfaces and the narrator was decent, but not good enough to keep me hooked. DNF. 










Wednesday, April 24

Book Review: The Suspect's Daughter by Donna Hatch


The Suspect's Daughter  (Rogue Hearts #4)Author:  Donna Hatch 
Title: The Suspect's Daughter
(Rogue Hearts #4)
Genre: Historical Romance & mystery
Pages: ebook
Published: December 15th 2015
Where I Got It: My shelf (Given to me by the author/publisher for my honest and unbiased opinion)



Determined to help her father with his political career, Jocelyn sets aside dreams of love. When she meets the handsome and mysterious Grant Amesbury, her dreams of true love reawaken. But his secrets put her family in peril. 

Grant goes undercover to capture conspirators avowed to murder the prime minister, but his only suspect is the father of a courageous lady who is growing increasingly hard to ignore. He can’t allow Jocelyn to distract him from the case, nor will he taint her with his war-darkened soul. She seems to see past the barriers surrounding his heart, which makes her all the more dangerous to his vow of remaining forever alone. 

Jocelyn will do anything to clear her father’s name, even if that means working with Grant. Time is running out. The future of England hangs in the balance...and so does their love.

Book 4 of the series! And I was super curious about this one because I wanted to understand Grant who is the hermit and detached brother of the group. 

The story follows Grant who goes undercover to figure out who plans on murdering the prime minister. The number 1 suspect is Jocelyn's father. All signs point to him, BUT there are doubts. Jocelyn seems perfect for Grant, but Grant has a lot of issues especially with women so he is not at all looking for love. 

This took me a long time to really get into the story. I wasn't feeling it at first, but after a certain event and after Grant did something my heart melted to him and the story. He actually reminded me a little bit of my BF. 

I liked Jocelyn too even though she seemed soooo perfect to start off with. Once you get to see her more you realize she is good at putting a face of perfection. 

The mystery was good! I was unsure about Jocelyn's father. I went back and forth if I thought if he was innocent or not. Yayy for keeping me on my toes! Also, the twist was good and I did NOT expect the event to happen at the end. So good! So good!

Overall, this was a quick one, but a pretty good one. The beginning was a little rough there, but you do get drawn in. It takes a hot minute to warm up to Grant and it fits, to be honest. The mystery was good and the ending was good. I shall stamp this with 4 stars.  




 

2019 Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge
Book 10 of 16/25




Monday, April 22

B's Monday Review: The Beast Player



By: Nahoko Uehashi, Cathy Hirano - translator
Narrated by: Caitlin Kelly
Length: 14 hrs and 50 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release date: 03-26-19
Language: English
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Fantasy YA

My Thoughts
I enjoyed this one. Wow, was it actually almost 15 hours? It did not feel like that, I listened to it really quickly.

It follows Elin, whose mother is killed at the beginning when the serpents under her care die. (yes aholes much!) The rest of Elin's family is nothing to have and she is sent away.

There was a lot of bee talk. Complicated creatures. But I liked it, Elin is 10 and she needed something stable. I liked her time there. Will say no more.

Then there is a school and beasts. This country uses water serpents to fight and then there are the royal beasts that are treasured beyond all as a symbol for the country. Elin comes into her own here. She is a very peculiar 10 year old, she loves to question things and think things true. And she does not loose that as she grows up.

The world was well done too. I felt I was there. The bees made it so.

The end, well it must be a series since this is book 1 and 2. And there are a book 3 and 4 too in Japanese. And I can not read the blurb, srsly, I want to know! Is it about Elin still? About something else. Ok I have to ask someone. Because it does end, sort of good. Happy for now, but things are not calm.

Also, it does start of as MG, then it turns YA. But at the end she is 20...I would say this is a MGYAADult then ;)

Narrator
She did a great job with male and female, old and young. I felt Elin grow under her narration and it fit her well.

 I think this was my first narration by her and I would listen to her again. She felt good for fantasy too

Blurb
Elin's family has an important responsibility: caring for the fearsome water serpents that form the core of their kingdom's army. So when some of the beasts mysteriously die, Elin's mother is sentenced to death as punishment. With her last breath she manages to send her daughter to safety.

Alone, far from home, Elin soon discovers that she can talk to both the terrifying water serpents and the majestic flying beasts that guard her queen. This skill gives her great powers, but it also involves her in deadly plots that could cost her life. Can she save herself and prevent her beloved beasts from being used as tools of war? Or is there no way of escaping the terrible battles to come? 

Sunday, April 21

Audiobook Review: Love and Other Wild Things by Molly Harper

Love and Other Wild Things (Mystic Bayou, #2)
Author: Molly Harper
Narrator: Amanda Ronconi & Jonathan Davis 
Title: Love and Other Wild Things
(Mystic Bayou #2)
Genre: PNR, Fantasy, & mystery
Pages: Audiobook
Published: September 4th 2018
Where I Got It: My shelf (Audible)



Welcome to Mystic Bayou, a tiny town hidden in the swamp where shape-shifters, vampires, witches, and dragons live alongside humans. The town formed around the mysterious energy rift in the bayou, which helps keep the town's magic in balance. But lately the rift has been widening and destabilizing - threatening to send the town's magical population into chaos. 

Energy witch Danica Teel has been sent by the League to figure out what's going on, with the help of bear-shifter Mayor Zed. While working on the case, Zed falls head over paws for Dani, but she's reluctant to engage in anything beyond a roll in his cave. Dani's family is counting on her to get the job done, and she has no time for distractions. But when an ominous presence begins stalking Dani through the bayou, they'll need to band together to make it out alive. 

Just like pie...you cannot have just one piece. Wait...is that a saying? Or am I making things up. LOLL But yess - I was super curious to dive into book 2. 

This time the story follows Mayor Zed and Danica. Zed is a bear shifter who is the unlikely mayor. Danica (Dani) has special powers that will help take care of shutting the rift that is causing problems for the town. The two have chemistry from page one, but Dani isn't big on relationships and doesn't plan on staying long.

I did love how they had an easy friendship from page 1. Yes, there was burning chemistry right away but they didn't act on it. I also love how friendly both of these people are. They are so kind and warm and loving. No brooding or fights. Sure they had to overcome her aversion to relationships but Zed didn't force anything on her. They went HER pace. I liked it. 

The mystery was an easy one. There was a small twist there I didn't see coming, but it was pretty predictable this time around. Oh well. It does make me worried though for the next book. Hopefully, the mystery is a touch better and my mysterious. 

I also worry about that rift! Eeee! Especially what happened happened? It doesn't look good, to be honest. 

Zed is a big ham and I loved him!!! *cuddles*

Dani was...okay. I warmed up to her a bit. I WANTED SOMEONE TO BEAT UP HER FATHER! GRRR! *shakes fist* This better be resolved darnit! Grrrr. 

The narrators seemed more fit for these two over the last book they read. These characters seemed to match their voices more. So I enjoyed the audio more so than the last one.

Overall...I liked this a lot. The mystery was meh this time around. However, I adore Zed and I liked Dani after a bit. I loved the dynamic of their relationship and how easy it was. Sure there was a touch of drama there. But you could see how much they loved each other. I'll give this....mmmm...3. WHEN IS THE NEXT BOOK COMING OUT! I WANT MORE!













2019 Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge
Book 9 of 16/25


Saturday, April 20

Movie Review: Yo-Kai Watch Movie (2014)



Yo-Kai Watch Movie: It's the Secret of Birth, Meow! PosterFilm Title: Yo-Kai Watch Movie
Length:  1h 37min
Released: 2014
Genre:   Animation, Action, Comedy 
Rating: Unrated (I would say a PG)
Where I Got It: Netflix

SUMMARY:

When the evil Yo-Kai Kin, Gin and Bronzlow makes the Yo-Kai Watch disappear from time so they can help Dame Dedtime prevent humans and Yo-Kai from being friends, Nate Adams finds help in the Yo-Kai Hovernyan, who takes Nate, Whisper and Jibanyan 60 years to the past, when the Yo-Kai Watch was first invented by Nate's grandfather, Nathaniel Adams, while he was a boy. Together, the 2 boys fight Dame Dedtime and her evil Wicked Yo-Kai minions to save the world from her evil plans









TRAILER:



REVIEW:

Image result for oh my swirls
OH MY SWIRLS! Okay - sorry - I had to start this review with my favorite character's catch-phrase. He is adorkable.

This is such a cute show and I actually adore watching it with my friend's little girl. It's hilarious and heart-warming. Such a good show and I was excited when we saw that it was a movie too. 

The movie follows Nate who is a boy who owns a special watch that can see yōkais running around. They are essentially ghosts, but not always the ghosts we think of. They have powers to influence us humans and the earth. Sometimes they are people or animals who die and get powers. Sometimes they just are. Before you scratch your head and wonder why this is a kid show. This is not dark but very light-hearted. Nate helps these creatures and they become friends. When he calls one to help they jump to it.

In this film, Nate's watch disappears. For some reason the past is changed and his grandfather who made the watch decides not to. The only way to get it back is to go into the past and convince his grandfather to make the watch. 

Such an adorable movie! I like Nate and his pals. I'm bummed my favorite yōkai didn't really pop up til near the end for a few seconds, but I did adore it. 

I do encourage watching the show first. Lots of references to the show, but even if you just watched one episode you'd be able to really get what is going on. 

OOOOO THAT ENDING MELTED MY LITTLE COLD HEART! Awww. 

This is funny, but it is also meaningful. It is a lesson about friendships and forgiveness. Love it. 

Overall, a great movie even though it is a "kid movie". Great lessons. Lots of laughs. I'll stamp it with 5 stars.