The Dallas SWAT team is hiding one helluva secret . . . they’re a pack of wolf shifters.
The team of elite sharpshooters is ultra-secretive—and also the darlings of Dallas. This doesn’t sit well with investigative journalist Mackenzie Stone. They must be hiding something . . . and she’s determined to find out what.
Keeping Mac at a distance proves impossible for SWAT team commander Gage Dixon. She’s smart, sexy, and makes him feel alive for the first time in years. But she’s getting dangerously close to the truth—and perilously close to his heart…
Review:
First, I want to say that I really like the way werewolves are created in this universe. They aren’t born or made. It’s a genetic anomaly that surfaces when they experience something horribly traumatic. I haven’t read a werewolf story like that before, and I like it.
Mac is a reporter that had to have been inspired by Lois Lane. She goes where she shouldn’t and gets in trouble. Chasing a new story, she finds herself studying the amazing SWAT team. They’ve won awards and excel at their job, so clearly, something is wrong.
Gabe is the leader of his SWAT team pack. He’s built his team up over the years, and they’re all werewolves. He’s immediately attracted to Mac, almost overwhelmed by her amazing scent. If you are not into instant attraction, I’m going to guess you’re not going to want to read any of the books in this series.
In the Hungry Like the Wolf universe there is a myth of The One. Your fated mate. The only person in the entire world perfect for you. Unless you meet that person, it sounds like you’re pretty much shit out of luck. Kind of depressing if you think about it, but based on the number of books in this series, I’m hoping everyone on the team finds their person.
This was a paranormal romance spliced with action. It didn’t have as much action as Wolf Under Fire for which I appreciated. I love action, but in this type of book, I prefer the romance to be more of a focus. Honestly, I wish books like this would be made into movies. I can so easily imagine a nice B movie with this plot, and it really bums me out that we don’t get these kinds of movies. I’m not asking for much Hollywood!
Anyway, a good book and I’m looking forward to the next.
When Agatha Griffin finds a colony of bees in her warehouse, it’s the not-so-perfect ending to a not-so-perfect week. Busy trying to keep her printing business afloat amidst rising taxes and the suppression of radical printers like her son, the last thing the widow wants is to be the victim of a thousand bees. But when a beautiful beekeeper arrives to take care of the pests, Agatha may be in danger of being stung by something far more dangerous…
Penelope Flood exists between two worlds in her small seaside town, the society of rich landowners and the tradesfolk. Soon, tensions boil over when the formerly exiled Queen arrives on England’s shores—and when Penelope’s long-absent husband returns to Melliton, she once again finds herself torn, between her burgeoning love for Agatha and her loyalty to the man who once gave her refuge.
As Penelope finally discovers her true place, Agatha must learn to accept the changing world in front of her. But will these longing hearts settle for a safe but stale existence or will they learn to fight for the future they most desire?
Review:
The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows was a slow burn romance. Once it got going though…shoo. The two heroines are in their mid-forties, which was a new one for me. Romances, at least the ones I’ve read, tend to be thirties and below. It was nice to see someone middle-aged get a second chance for love.
Agatha is bisexual. She’s a widow who loved her husband and loves her son. She works hard at the print shop she owns to provide for her family to keep them safe. It’s a very volatile period, especially for someone in her line of work. It was honestly very interesting to read about.
Penelope is a lesbian who has married a man who is in love with her brother. Her brother and husband sail the sea hunting whales, living the life of a married couple, while she stays at home alone. For the most part, it works for her, but she is lonely.
There’s an almost instant attraction for the couple, but because of the time and their personal histories neither woman is sure where the other stands. Lots of hinting and angst happen before things are able to progress.
They’re a cute couple, and there’s a lot of passion. I wasn’t a huge fan of any of the side characters, though. Penelope’s brother and husband were cute. Agatha’s son was annoying, and more often than not, I wanted to slap him. A character from the previous book made an appearance, but you don’t need to have read the first book to enjoy this one.
The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows further cements my enjoyment of Olivia Waite. I pre-ordered it because I enjoyed The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics so much, and I was not disappointed. I will definitely be pre-ordering the next.
I have, what I’m finding to be, a very strict definition of adventure movies. It follows the Wikipedia definition pretty closely, but apparently, that is not the definition other people seem to use; at least people that write lists and post them on the internet.
“Adventure films are a genre of film whose plots feature elements of travel. They typically involve protagonists who must leave their home or place of comfort and go to faraway lands to fulfill a goal. Settings play an important role in Adventure films, sometimes as big as the characters themselves.“
“Main plot elements include quests for lost continents and exotic setting; struggles and situations that confront the main characters, the creation of empires, characters embarking on treasure and heroic journeys, travels, explorations, quests and searches for the unknown usually also having to overcome an adversary.Adventure films are often set in a period background and may include adapted stories of historical or fictional adventure heroes within the historical context. Kings, battles, rebellion, or piracy are commonly seen. Adventure films may also be combined with other movie genres such as action, animation, comedy, drama, fantasy, science fiction, family, horror, or war.“
The ending of the definition is where my opinion diverges, slightly. Adventure movies can, of course, be combined with other genres, but too often on these lists, adventure is the subgenre and has very little to do with the main parts of the movie. When I’m looking for an adventure movie, I want that to be the focus. Things get a bit sticky with films like Star Wars. It’s clearly sci-fi, but it’s also fantasy and adventure. It’s one of those rare movies that straddle genres very well.
Superhero movies will not be on my list. At least none I’ve seen as of September 2020. In my opinion, superhero movies have become their own separate genre. They have elements of action, sci-fi, fantasy, and adventure. The focus, though, is the superhero and all the superhero stuff. This is not what I’m looking for when it comes to an adventure movie.
Most action movies will not be on my list. If the purpose of the movie is to see people get beat up and shit blown up, for me, that’s action, not adventure. John Wick and The Raid are action. Sure, I could see how someone could argue they’re adventure, but, again, that’s not what I’m looking for in an adventure film.
*This definition is completely subjective and as the list grows longer will probably end up making no sense at all.
I think part of the reason I enjoy adventure movies is that unlike action, they often include female characters in more than a token role. Evie in The Mummy is a driving force in the story. Buttercup tries to save her true love and speaks up against the man in control of her in The Princess Bride. It’s Joan’s adventure that we go on in Romancing the Stone and Jewel of the Nile. Princess Leia, Abigail Chase, Elizabeth Swann, Yvaine, and Lamia have large parts in each of their movies. They each may not be the lead of their films, but their actions matter to the story.
Now that’s cleared up, here are the adventure movies I enjoy the most, listed alphabetically. More will be added as I remember them or watch them.
The Goonies is a perfect example of an adventure film. You’ve got a ragtag crew of kids (goonies) that are about to lose their homes until they find a treasure map. Excitement ensues as they fight their way to the treasure at the end.
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy is about a man who is taken from Earth and forced to make his way through the galaxy with people he thought he knew. His initial goal is just to survive in his new environment, but it turns into a quest to find the answer to the ultimate question. It has a sci-fi setting and is a comedy, but the main purpose of the movie is Arthur’s adventure.
The Indiana Jones movies are my definition of adventure film. Indiana is an adventurer seeking treasures that belong in museums. Raiders of the Last Arkis easily the best. Temple of Doom still freaks me out a bit. Last Crusade has Sean Connery and is a bit of a rehash of Raiders, but I still prefer it to Temple of Doom. I actually don’t hate Kingdom of the Crystal Skull but I didn’t include a picture because the gallery looked weird on WordPress when I uploaded it.
The Mummy and The Mummy Returns are once again very similar to the Indiana Jones movies. However, this time the female character has agency and an integral part to the story. Evie makes these movies, she has a larger role than O’Connell. She’s amazing. Also, everyone in this movie is gorgeous.
National Treasureand National Treasure: Book of Secrets have a team of people searching all over the country for treasure. They are being chased by bad guys and there’s a little bit of romance. It doesn’t have a historical setting, but it does have historical elements.
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is the best of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies (Full disclosure I haven’t watched the last one or two). It has swashbuckling pirates, sword fights, and treasure.
The Princess Bride has fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, true love, and miracles. You can’t get more adventure than that, now can you?
Romancing the Stone and The Jewel of the Nile are two adventure movies that follow Joan Wilder, a super successful romance writer, and Jack Colton a man who just wants to buy a boat. They travel through treacherous terrain while being chased by a corrupt military figure, in order to save her sister. The sequel isn’t as good, but I enjoy it none the less.
Stardusthas a lot of fantasy elements and I debated including it on my list. It’s one of my favorite movies, but is it more adventure than fantasy? I decided to go with yes. It has pirates. It has a young man on a heroic journey to find treasure for his love. The fantasy setting plays a roll, but the adventure story is what really drives the movie. It hits all the marks I love most about adventure films, but I could just be clouded by my love.
Star Wars just might be the most epic adventure story of all time. These seven movies are a saga that has yet to be surpassed. I know there are a lot of people that hate the prequels, but they came out when I was just young enough to attach some nostalgia. So apart from Clone Wars I enjoy them all. I also included Rogue One because it is the only new movie in the series that I have loved. It is one of my favorite movies, not only in the series, but period.
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life have action elements, but Lara’s quest for ancient artifacts trumps that, in my opinion. Plus, I love being able to include female led adventure films. That being said, I wouldn’t call these favorites. I enjoy them and watch them when I’m not feeling strongly about anything, but there are many ways in which they could be better. I have not yet watched the newest, if I like it I’ll definitely add it.
Tomorrowlandis another one of my favorite movies. This time, though, I’m pretty sure there’s no question of it’s adventure film status. Yes there are sci-fi elements, but the movie takes part mostly in the real world. You have a young woman searching for Tomorrowland, then trying to save the world. She’s taken out of her comfort zone on a quest for an artifact.
Normally, I would be posting TV show and movie reviews alongside my book reviews, but anyone who’s read my blog the last few months will have noticed I haven’t been. I’m definitely still watching stuff, but it’s been a lot of rewatching old favorites. Some of which I’ve already written reviews on. I also have not had any desire to write reviews on any of the new stuff. I’ve liked some of it them. I just have limited mental bandwidth right now and those have been set aside, for now.
Here’s a list of what I’ve enjoyed watching the last six months:
Omg I love this movie. I’ve watched it a few times and ended up doing a rewatch of the previous two. The positivity has been exactly what I need.
Before Disney+ came out I got an amazing 3 year deal. I figured that would cover me through the first season of all the shows I’m interested in. I’m doubting that now. Still it has allowed me to watch Hamilton on repeat to the point of driving my husband insane. Just so freaking good.
I love this movie. It never fails to make me laugh. Plus, you know, beautiful people.
I could watch Brooklyn Nine-Nine on repeat forever. It is the only cop show I like and I’m anxiously awaiting how they’re going to handle everything that’s been going on. This is a definite comfort watch.
It’s been a while since I watched Parks and Rec but after watching Brooklyn Nine-Nine it was the natural next show. It is somehow better than I remember it being.
This show was adorable and everything I could have asked for in a modern adaption of The Baby-Sitters Club.
My list could go on and on, I did a Batman rewatch. Not Nolan, the fun ones. Josie and the Pussycats, The Old Guard, Sense 8, and so many I can’t remember off the top of my head. Eventually I get back in to posting reviews, till then I hope this list will do.
A high stakes wager pits an aspiring entrepreneur against a ruthless CEO in this sexy romantic comedy.
After her life falls apart, recruitment consultant Layla Patel returns home to her family in San Francisco. But in the eyes of her father, who runs a Michelin starred restaurant, she can do no wrong. He would do anything to see her smile again. With the best intentions in mind, he offers her the office upstairs to start her new business and creates a profile on an online dating site to find her a man. She doesn’t know he’s arranged a series of blind dates until the first one comes knocking on her door…
As CEO of a corporate downsizing company Sam Mehta is more used to conflict than calm. In search of a quiet new office, he finds the perfect space above a cozy Indian restaurant that smells like home. But when communication goes awry, he’s forced to share his space with the owner’s beautiful yet infuriating daughter Layla, her crazy family, and a parade of hopeful suitors, all of whom threaten to disrupt his carefully ordered life.
As they face off in close quarters, the sarcasm and sparks fly. But when the battle for the office becomes a battle of the heart, Sam and Layla have to decide if this is love or just a game.
Review:
Yeah, no, I was not a fan of The Marriage Game. It had everything to do with the hero. He was a complete ass. He walked around with a perpetual erection because the heroine’s boobs were bouncing, or her ass was just too much for him to handle. He was rude and demeaning from the minute he met her. He was controlling and bossy. He came off hostile a lot of the time too. I like an alpha male as long as he’s not domineering, and this dude had plenty of moments. A big no from me.
The only issue I had with the heroine was every interaction with the hero. She would argue, he would say something borderline misogynistic, and she would back down. She was searching for a husband, and you’d think after he crashed the first meeting she wouldn’t let him anywhere near her, but she asked him to go on all of the dates.
Ugh, I honestly can’t get over how much I disliked the hero. I’m assuming I was supposed to overlook his behavior because of how devoted he was to his sister. The hero’s sister was in a wheelchair after her husband, a man the hero introduced her to, pushed her down some stairs. The hero’s mission is to get justice for his sister. That’s nice, good for him. Stop being such a giant dick.
Sorry, I don’t like writing low star reviews. When a book disappoints me or makes me angry, I often just don’t write a review at all. I know that the author was doing their best, and they probably liked what they wrote, and I don’t like bagging on someone’s work in a public area. I just really, really didn’t like this hero.
Full disclosure, I read half of this book, then skipped through the last half, and then read the last chapter. It was difficult for me to do even that. I really should have just bailed.
Dynamite Review 