Harmony Black (Harmony Black #1) By: Craig Schaefer

Harmony Black

Harmony Black (Harmony Black #1) By: Craig Schaefer

Plot:

Harmony Black is much more than your average FBI special agent. In addition to being a practicing witch, she’s also an operative for Vigilant Lock, an off-the-books program created to battle occult threats—by any means necessary. Despite her dedication to fighting the monsters threatening society, Harmony has become deeply conflicted about her job. Her last investigation resulted in a pile of dead bodies, and she suspects the wrong people are being punished for it.

While on a much-needed vacation, Harmony gets pulled back into action. This time, though, she’s gone from solo work to being part of a team. Their target: the Bogeyman, a vicious and elusive figure…and the creature that destroyed Harmony’s childhood.

Surrounded by quirky, fascinating characters as dedicated to one another as they are to their new partner, Harmony must learn to trust her team—and a new romantic interest—on a dangerous and deadly mission that conjures up memories she’d much rather forget.

Review:

While looking at the top books in Urban Fantasy on Amazon, I came across this book. I liked the cover and thought the blurb sounded interesting. It wasn’t until the end of the book, when I read the Author’s Note, that I realized this was a spin off series. I didn’t feel lost at any point or like I was missing jokes, and I never would have realized there was another series if the author hadn’t mentioned it.

The world and characters created were detailed and fleshed out, but not to the point where I was bogged down in details. It was darker than I normally like and dealt with kidnapped infants, which had me reading into the late hours of the night cause I needed to know if they survived.

I liked Harmony, she was very straight laced and by the book, but not to the point of stupidity. Her new partner, Jessie, was more annoying. She would have been a better character for TV, I think, but in the book was kind of annoying to read the way she talked.

It was well written, with good pacing. There was build up, but it wasn’t constant.

Actually, it really reminded me of a Criminal Minds episode, a lot. A Paranormal Criminal Minds, that would be interesting to watch.

Overall, I liked the book, but because of how dark it was I’m not in a rush to read the next, which is good since it’s not out yet.

4/5

The Intern (2015)

The-Intern

The Intern (2015)

Director:

Nancy Meyers

Starring:

Robert De Niro

Anne Hathaway

Rene Russo

Plot:

70-year-old widower Ben Whittaker has discovered that retirement isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Seizing an opportunity to get back in the game, he becomes a senior intern at an online fashion site, founded and run by Jules Ostin.

Review:

This movie didn’t need to be two hours long. It was super cute and I liked it but

***SPOILERS***

the whole cheating husband bit could have been left out. It was stupid and lowered my opinion of the movie. It wasn’t necessary.

Loved De Niro, loved Hathaway, fucking hated the ending. It was such a bullshit non ending.

“Hey Ben I’ve got something to tell you.”

“Wait until this is over.”

What is that?

I could be really insulting right now, cause I’m pissed, I liked the movie up until then, but I’m just not going to say anything else.

3/5

Recurve (The Elemental Series #1) By: Shannon Mayer

Recurve

Recurve (The Elemental Series #1) By: Shannon Mayer

Plot:

My name is Larkspur, and I am an Elemental. My people use the power of the earth to sustain life and defy our enemies. I should be at my father’s side as a royal princess. But as a half-breed, bastard child, that isn’t going to happen. I’ve been accused of attacking the queen, my wicked stepmother, and my life is suddenly on the line. I have only two options left to me: banishment, or training to become one of the King’s Elite Guards, an Ender. Option one will kill me. Option two is meant to break me, but it’s the only way to survive. Did I mention I have no power like the rest of the elementals, and my connection to the earth is worth next to nothing? Could things get any worse? Of course they can. Welcome to being an Elemental
Review:

It’s been a while since I read the Rylee Adamson series and I keep meaning to get back into it. Since this was the first book in a new series I thought it might be easier.

I read somewhere this is in the same universe as Rylee, but I don’t think that comes into play at all in this book. You’re in the world of an elemental, which sounds almost like a different dimension. Lark is an Earth elemental that doesn’t have any power, or is/does she?

The book starts off with a fairly brutal introduction to the world that had me crying and wondering if I wanted to continue, but I had to see justice, and thankfully I got it. A good power hungry villain was introduced and they weren’t defeated, but they were dealt a devastating blow, which I always like in a first book.

Lark was an interesting character. She was very much a bad-ass, but she had some negative qualities that made me unsure if I liked her by the end. Her views on sex are just different from mine, which are fine, but I don’t necessarily enjoy reading it.

Anyway, I really liked the book and while I want to continue with the series, I think I might pick up with Rylee first.

4/5

The Big Short (2015)

the Big Short

The Big Short (2015)

Director:

Adam McKay

Starring:

Christian Bale

Steve Carell

Ryan Gosling

Brad Pitt

Plot:

Four denizens in the world of high-finance predict the credit and housing bubble collapse of the mid-2000s, and decide to take on the big banks for their greed and lack of foresight.

Review:

So like all other Adam McKay movies there are a plethora of dick jokes and just a ton of crass humor…oh wait, that’s actually not true.

This was a great movie, it could have been hugely depressing and infuriating, and it kind of was, but I got to see some people stick it to the banks, so there was that. It’s honestly amazing that they were able to make a movie out of something so boring be so entertaining.

It’s a topic that hits home, that will probably anger me to my dying day, I lost not one but two jobs during this time, my husband lost his job, and my grandparents had their well earned retirement decimated. We did everything right, everything we were supposed to, and we were the ones that got fucked. The fact that just one person on Wall Street was jailed is disgusting and it says a lot about our government that they allowed it. Of course, it also says a lot about the people that we allowed the government to become what it is. It’s a vicious, depressing cycle that I wish someone smarter than I am would figure out a way to fix.

Anyway, sorry to go off topic, this movie was great. Highly recommend. Definitely going to read the book.

5/5

Thicker Than Blood (Twenty-Sided Sorceress #6) By: Annie Bellet

Thicker Than Blood

Thicker Than Blood (Twenty-Sided Sorceress #6) By: Annie Bellet

Plot:

If you are going through hell… keep going…

Wounded, defeated, and flung across the wilderness, Jade Crow and her peeps faced their worst enemy and not all have escaped… or survived.

Separated from her friends, their fates unknown, and without her magic, Jade must discover her own heritage and unlock her true powers… or else her next fight with Samir will be her last.

For Jade, life has come down to two choices…
Level up. Or die.

Review:

So I really like this series, the ideas the characters, the nerdy references, but the last two books have been too short. They’re in line with the rest of the series, but the final battle just keeps getting dragged out. There still isn’t a resolution at the end of this one and the side characters are almost not in it at all. It’s disappointing.

Maybe if the series was advertised as a serial instead it wouldn’t be as bad because you’d know what to expect, but the first four books had fairly self-contained stories and the last two haven’t. I keep reading because I’m invested in the world and the characters, but I don’t know how much longer I’ll stick around.

If you liked the previous books you’ll like this one, but don’t expect a satisfying ending.

3/5