Wordless Wednesday

B's Monday Review: Tolkien (2019)

The formative years of the orphaned author J.R.R. Tolkien as he finds friendship, love and artistic inspiration among a group of fellow outcasts at school.

Director: Dome Karukoski

Writers: David Gleeson, Stephen Beresford

Stars: Nicholas Hoult, Lily Collins, Colm Meaney

PG-13 | 1h 52min | Biography, Drama, War 

Well this was dreadfully boring. The only reason I watched cos it is Tolkien! I had tow watch.

Recommend.

NO

Book Review: Plaid and Plagiarism by Molly MacRae

Author: Molly MacRae
Title: Plaid and Plagiarism
(Highland Bookshop Mystery #1)
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Fiction
Format: paper/hardcover
Pages: 279
Published:  December 6th 2016 
Where I Got It: My shelf (Used book store)



Set in the weeks before the annual Inversgail Literature Festival in Scotland, Plaid and Plagiarism begins on a morning shortly after the four women take possession of their bookshop in the Highlands. Unfortunately, the move to Inversgail hasn’t gone as smoothly as they’d planned.

First, Janet Marsh is told she’ll have to wait before moving into her new home. Then she finds out the house has been vandalized. Again. The chief suspect? Una Graham, an advice columnist for the local paper—who’s trying to make a name for herself as an investigative reporter. When Janet and her business partners go looking for clues at the house, they find a body—it’s Una, in the garden shed, with a sickle in her neck. Janet never did like that garden shed.

Who wanted Una dead? After discovering a cache of nasty letters, Janet and her friends are beginning to wonder who didn’t, including Janet’s ex-husband. Surrounded by a cast of characters with whom readers will fall in love, the new owners of Yon Bonnie Books set out to solve Una’s murder so they can get back to business.

This was a random find at the little book store in town from a couple of years ago. It's set in Scotland, there is a book store, and there was is a murder to be solved! What is there not to like? 

The story follows Janet and her friends who open their own store in a small town in Scotland. However, the move has not been going as smoothly as they'd planned. Janet finds her new home was vandalized and they find a dead body in the garden shed. Who wanted this woman dead and why? 

This was a fun book overall. A comfy mystery in Scotland. However, it did take me a hot minute to really get into the story. I had a hard time connecting with the characters. They were fun, don't get me wrong, but I just didn't really connect with anyone. 

The story took off right away and I was intrigued by the mystery and the townspeople. The main characters...not so much. They were funny though! I did get a kick out of their antics. 

OooOOOoooo that was a good ending. I had guessed right...but I thought it was a long shot and I wasn't really sure about the motivation though. Very good, very good. It was a good mystery!  

Overall, this was a quick, fun read. I had some issues connecting with our four main characters, but they were still fun to follow. I honestly think the townspeople and the mystery were the main things for me that kept me going. I'll give this 3 stars overall. 

Audiobook Review: The Rebel Pirate by Donna Thorland

Author: Donna Thorland
Narrator: Angela Brazil
Title: The Rebel Pirate
(Renegades of the American Revolution)
Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance
Format: Audiobook 
Pages: 416 
Published: March 4th 2014
Where I Got It: My shelf (Audible)



1775, Boston Harbor. James Sparhawk, Master and Commander in the British Navy, knows trouble when he sees it. The ship he’s boarded is carrying ammunition and gold…into a country on the knife’s edge of war. Sparhawk’s duty is clear: confiscate the cargo, impound the vessel and seize the crew. But when one of the ship’s boys turns out to be a lovely girl, with a loaded pistol and dead-shot aim, Sparhawk finds himself held hostage aboard a Rebel privateer.

Sarah Ward never set out to break the law. Before Boston became a powder keg, she was poised to escape the stigma of being a notorious pirate’s daughter by wedding Micah Wild, one of Salem’s most successful merchants. Then a Patriot mob destroyed her fortune and Wild played her false by marrying her best friend and smuggling a chest of Rebel gold aboard her family’s ship.

Now branded a pirate herself, Sarah will do what she must to secure her family’s safety and her own future. Even if that means taking part in the cat and mouse game unfolding in Boston Harbor, the desperate naval fight between British and Rebel forces for the materiel of war—and pitting herself against James Sparhawk, the one man she cannot resist.

This IS technically book 2 of the series, but all the books stand out on their own. I've read book 1 and book 3, so it seemed right to check this one out as well. 

The story follows Sarah Ward and James Sparhawk. James is the Master and Commander of a ship in the British Navy. He commenders a ship that is carrying ammunition and gold for the colonies that are on the verge of war. He soon finds himself held hostage aboard a Rebel pirate ship and is at the mercy of Sarah. Sarah is the daughter of a notorious pirate who turned legit. She never intended to break the law, but her former fiance smuggled Rebel gold aboard her family's ship and now she is labeled a pirate herself. She must do what she can to secure her family's safety and her own future, but can she really resist James Sparhawk?

This was a lot of fun. LOTS of layers here. I had no idea how everything was going to be okay for these two lovers especially when the war starts and things become even more complex. You know they will get their HEA...but how? Crazy, crazy stuff especially when Trent walks in. 

Can I admit something....I kinda wanted her and Trent (Spell?) to get together. I KNOW I KNOW. I liked James...I did....but there is something about Trent (spell?) that edged him a little further even after the truth about his past came out. 

I also love the little side romance we got to see a glimpse of. I would honestly LOVE to see more of that. It is shocking and fun. Maybe a short story??? I want to know HOW they met and become lovers. 

But this was a fun read. I really enjoyed it. The insta-lust was a little meh for me...but it was needed for how fast-paced things would become. If they didn't have that lust and general fondness of each other then they would've just walked away and never had another thought about each other. SOOOOOO it worked in the long scheme of things. 

The narrator was fantastic. Loved her! 

Overall, totally worth the read. I liked the characters and this was addictive. I had to know how everything was going to work out. I'll give this....4 stars. 

Challenge(s):

- #16 for Audiobook Challenge