Review: Buried Deep – T.R. Ragan

Jessie Cole #4

SYNOPSIS: Two missing persons. One apparent suicide. Three cases pushing PI Jessie Cole and crime reporter Ben Morrison closer to the edge.

Lacey Geiger could be a very rich woman. If Jessie Cole can find her. The beneficiary of a sizable estate, Lacey vanished years ago after escaping an abusive childhood and is veiled now behind a new identity. Jessie has two weeks to find her. It’s enough time to discover that Lacey is hiding from so much more than anyone realized. But she isn’t the only one with secrets. And Jessie’s not the only one searching for the truth.

A concerned daughter has asked for help finding her mother—a woman said to have been murdered thirty years ago. And Jessie’s colleague Ben, an amnesiac still struggling with the bloody memories of a shattered life, is nearer to piecing together a very dark picture. Especially when someone he detests is found dead, hanging from a tree by a riverbank.

Now as the mysteries, puzzles, and lies of three investigations are unearthed, Jessie and Ben will risk everything to bring all that is hidden into the light. – via Goodreads

So another quick and easy read, that has a decent story, so it is not too light, but also not too heavy to go through, either. I really enjoy the Jessie Cole books, where I never really did the Lizzie Gardner books.

Ben Morrison painted to be a very complex character, and while he is, he is not too intense. The romance between Colin and Jessie is sometimes really flat, in the sense that it is not really anything, but Ragan keeps bringing it up to humanise Jessie or something? I don’t know.

Zee is also still an interesting character. She definitely has mental health issues, and they are explored, but again not in depth. I think Ragan likes to touch on subjects, but never gets too involved with anything, so the read always feels lighter.

The one issue there is with these books is that they don’t really have anything that sets them apart from each other, defining them. I look at how I read these two one after another, and thoroughly enjoyed them, but neither stood out on its own. They blur together, though I liked them well enough.

Being Human (U.S.): Season 2 (2012)

*CONTAINS SPOILERS*

What I liked:

• Josh’s social anxiety is hilarious. Just think of how he guzzled the wine when Sally’s mother was there for that awkward dinner, or how he edges out and avoids uncomfortable situations. I love it.
• Demonic, dark side Sally is actually really entertaining, hectic plot to watch. The introduction of the Reaper and then all the things that subsequently happen? So good.

• Seeing Aidan delve deeper into the world of the vampires, and it is messy, ugly, and digs up another side of him altogether, which is quite cool to see.

• More of Aidan’s past was also welcome.
• The friendship between Aidan and Josh will just always be awesome. They are definitely besties.

• Zoe was a character I liked. She was so awkward and amusing, but I also felt so sorry for her later on – the Nick situation was a killer.
• Aidan and Josh banding together to save Sally – friends for life! It was also quite funny to see how they had no other choice but to let Zoe know that they are totally not normal humans.

What I didn’t like:

• Nora irritated the crap out of me this season. I really like her and Josh together, but this new Nora? Nah uh! What a bitch.
• Those thoroughbreds are a real issue – they come in out of nowhere, make issues for Nora and Josh, make Josh to feel a fool, nope. Just not on man.
• So many story arcs were introduced, rushed through, and then discarded. Like, really? What was the point of all that?
• Josh and Julia being together again was something I wasn’t a fan of. Not because Josh isn’t allowed to be happy, it was just a silly plot device.

Rating:

Yep, another really entertaining season if you ask me. Aidan will just never get the freedom he wants, to lead the life he chooses, there is just always something lurking about to make him miserable. The assumption was that the end of Bishop would have bought him his freedom, but instead left him in the precarious place of leading Boston. Never mind that, it put him in the line of fire of Mother, an acient vampire, and Suren, her daughter who crushed his heart many years ago.

Josh and Aidan are trying so hard to just be normal, and it is failing miserably. Aidan is still judged super harshly for ever slipping or just for being loyal, but is still expected to carry the world. I was pleased to see in this season that Nora knew all about Josh’s werewolf secret, and thought it was going to be amazing (after they dealt with the fact that she, too, is a werewolf). But oh no, it could never be that easy with Josh, and instead we got these annoying thoroughbreds introduced to us, and they just got right in there what with tearing Josh and Nora apart. She was such a bitch and so cruel in this season, really, she annoyed me the whole way through. ICK.

While Sally can still make things all about her, it was interesting to see how her arc went this season, what with her making friends, learning about possession, getting hooked, and leading a Reaper into her world. The consequences were rather dire there, and the way she snapped was fantastic. Seriously, it was worth a watch. Something that amused me endlessly was Aidan sleeping with Julia, only to find one super awkward morning that Julia is, in actual fact, Josh’s ex-fiancé. I know it sounds bad, but that scene was handled well. The friendship between Aidan and Josh survived it, so all is well. However, later, after Nora and all her stupidity, when Josh and Julia were together again? Not a fan. It’s just not supposed to work that way. Nope. Plus, he belongs with Nora. She just needs to get over her crap.

Aidan and Suren was a relationship that needed to grow on me, and I still don’t think they were properly suited, but definitely better than Aidan and Rebecca, that’s for damn sure. Suren originally grated on me, but she gets better. Still not a huge fan, but better. I also happened to thoroughly appreciate the story she told of how Aidan kept a black orchid from her mother alive once a upon a time. It was beautiful. The effects are still a bit sketchy, and there are times where the narrative stumbles a bit, but Being Human is still a damn fine show that I would highly recommend to anyone that wants a supernatural comedy/drama mix. Worth your time, for sure.

Sporadic Scene: The Vampire Diaries (Season 3×21) – Klaus Tries To Get Into The Gilbert House

This scene is absolutely hilarious. I mean, we all know Klaus is cuckoo and will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Still not having gained entry to the Gilbert house was no deterrent for him, and the way he started to wage a siege to get in was classic. The execution of this scene, the music, everything just worked wonders. My favourite piece? The way Klaus walked the gas up the stairs to burn down the house, and Stefan stops him there at the door. Ah, Klaus! ❤

Review: American Reunion (2012)

“Were we just as obnoxious as these kids back in the day?”
– Kevin

SYNOPSIS: Jim, Michelle, Stifler, and their friends reunite in East Great Falls, Michigan for their high school reunion. – via IMDB

Well. Uhm, this is, hands down, my least favourite of the American Pie movies as they stand with the original members. I didn’t expect this to be good (I mean the older ones aren’t great, but they were a large part of my silly youth),  but I thought maybe nostalgia could save this one a little.

It straight up didn’t. The poster might hark back to the first of its kind, and the content may have tried at times, but it was desperate and a cheap cash grab. How Oz is suddenly back with a stray throwaway line about The Wedding, nope. Kevin is back, has a wife, and has a whole story arc with Vicki going.

We went through three movies with no real severe nudity (yes, there were boobs, but nothing too private. This movie? Show me Jim’s dick. Through a pot lid. Yes, that is exactly what I wanted to see for a cheap laugh. I know the others were also filled with crude, gross out humour, but this just seemed like a line crossed I didn’t need. I also did not like the creepy story with this young girl prostrating herself at Jim’s feet, and all these guys preying on young, high school girls. For reals. If you have been out of school twelve years, you should not be trying to make it with a sixteen year old.

What I did like though was watching Jim’s dad and Stifler’s mom chilling together and having a blast. There is also plenty things that do throw back to the originals, and for the most part, this is pulled off successfully. Stifler has another crazy party, and Jim’s dad is the life of the scene, hands down.

Yeah, I am bitching about this, and I sort of expected it to be weak, but I didn’t expect it to be as terrible as it was at the end of the day. This one can totally just be skipped. It is cringey and embarrassing, and not in the sort of forgivable way of the old ones. I still maintain I don’t know how those would be received if seen for the first time nowadays and no youth to help it along.

Review: Almost Dead – T.R. Ragan

Lizzy Gardner #5

SYNOPSIS: Life for private investigator Lizzy Gardner will never be the same. It’s been three weeks since her fiancé, Jared, was shot on what was supposed to be their wedding day. He’s in a coma now, and Lizzy is being forced to make a decision she might not be able to live with.

But a string of deaths has forced her to get back to work. While they appear to be unrelated accidents at first glance, a closer look shows they all have something in common. More than a decade earlier, the victims were all members of the Ambassador Club at a Sacramento high school: a posh posse that bullied other students, one of whom remains tormented years later. – via Goodreads

Well, here we are with yet another Lizzy Gardner book, and man, what a kick in the teeth. The first two were such meh reads, and then three and four were much better and quite interesting. Obsessed ended with quite a cliffhanger, and I was interested to see how Ragan would tackle the issue that she presented. The way she went? Sucky. So sucky.

We have regressed to super bad – the book is not good. At all. Instead of being edgy with the whole botched/ruined wedding thing and instead of using this book for extreme character growth/introspection and to pack and emotional punch of note, Ragan blabs around in circles and goes nowhere, and the book is even more unrealistic than others in the series. The cases being investigated by her, Kitally and Hayley are so silly and there is nothing compelling about this book.

There are so many issues that could legitimately be explored in this book, like losing a loved one, respecting another person, dedication, support, domestic abuse, all of those things, and instead this book hobbles along in the most insipid manner possible. The villain dragged back for this? I barely remembered him from the first book. In fact, I barely remember anything about why Lizzy is the way she is, other than that she was kidnapped and held for some time. Like, how bad is it that the main protagonist we have been following for five books now is beyond lacklustre and mediocre? What?

The best way to summarise Almost Dead is extremely bland and boring. What a wasted opportunity that was set up. The book had no heart, and it had so much to work with, too. This series is so hit and miss – and more miss than anything, with only two semi-decent entries so far. The Jessie Cole book started with a bigger bang, and I am thinking that, if Ragan continues that series the way she started it, she will definitely have me sold, because Lizzy Gardner and her band of misfits is really irritating me more than entertaining me.

The Originals: Season 3 (2015 – 2016)

*CONTAINS SPOILERS*

What I liked:

• Hayley and Elijah getting some awkward time together, and finally caving to it. YAY!
• More Vincent. I really like this character, definitely interesting, and I am so looking forward to seeing where it goes for him.
• The relationship ties between characters really improves more with each passing season.
• I warmed to Freya – she annoyed me last season, but she has grown into herself, and definitely fits into the family better now, and I like that.
• The relationship between Klaus and Elijah. I love how they can mess each other up intensely, but they are the only ones allowed to mess with each other like that, and then they will have drinks. Nicely done guys.

• The guest appearances from Stefan and even Matt Donovan, as pompous and annoying as he still is.
• The Mikaelson family drama remains absolutely enthralling every step of the way.
• Those last two episodes! That finale! Like oh my goodness!

Okay, okay, okay. I can’t help it, but Elijah. So cold, so efficient, so classy, so hot.

What I didn’t like:

• Lucien. Ugh. I don’t even want to really type out what I think about this… prat. It’ll get ugly.
• All these first turned vampires got on my nerves, not even going to lie.
• This whole Camille/Klaus and Aurora/Klaus thing. It just annoys me. He doesn’t actually have any proper chemistry with them, anything that would convince me that they are supposed to be together (whichever he wants).
• Camille annoyed me enough as is as a human, but as a vampire? UGH.
• Finn coming back.
• That whole prophecy angle, while it was good, was dragged out way more than necessary.
• Minimal werewolf story arc, and I actually liked knowing more about them all.

Rating:

Oh my goodness! What a season! Initially I was a little peeved, and there were sections I didn’t like, but there was also so much that was so right with this season! When it started up, I was a little sketch about all these first sired vampires, one for each Klaus, Elijah, and Rebekah. Lucien Castle particularly annoyed me, even just the way he spoke. Soon it was evident that it was going to be an issue. Tristan didn’t peeve me like Lucien, but Aurora was a piece of work I didn’t like, and neither did I like this forced, ancient love story.

Davina leading the witches and finding herself wasn’t bad, either, I have warmed up to her as the show has progressed, though she truly still is a flawed individual. A character I adore is Vincent, and the man is fantastic, has his own set of morals, and works totally different. He is a character that is immensely sure of himself. I was also pleased to see how the Freya story arc was sorted out, because I really didn’t like her in the last season. I was so sad to see Jackson killed off – like I said, I really liked the dude, I just didn’t want him to be with Hayley because I am a Haylijah shipper for life man. Elijah is so freaking in love with Hayley, but he is such a good man and would put her happiness above his wants, and would step back so that she could just live her life. Man, too much for me.

Anyway, you obviously know I was over the moon when Klaus wheedled Hayley into admitting that she still had the hots for Elijah, and that she should do something about it, and then she did. My heart sang. Anyway, the Mikaelson “Always and Forever” motto is really put to the test here, and it was insane to see Kol brought back, but Rebekah taken, Finn brought back, though it was short-lived (thank goodness), and there is just melodrama everywhere, as is Mikaelson tradition. I loved seeing how this season tied into The Vampire Diaries (season 7), and it was great to see Stefan again.

Freaking heck, can we just talk about this Camille/Klaus crap for a second? It has always irritated me, this you know, but this last season it was particularly bad. Then the bitch was turned, and was even more annoying. I know this sounds awful, but when she passed, the only person I felt bad for for losing her was Vincent. Anyway, the way the Mikaelsons sorted out the warring sirelines was fantastic, and Klaus’s disposal of Lucien was cold, like wow. All that aside, that finale nearly drove me crazy! People dying left, right, centre, wars starting, this super dangerous hybrid whatever Lucien crafted, Klaus’s life, my poor Elijah getting snacked on (I literally cried out “no” when it happened), all sorts, it was some intense stuff! I was riveted.

Review: The Silent Wife – Karin Slaughter

Will Trent #10

SYNOPSIS: Atlanta, Georgia. Present day. A young woman is brutally attacked and left for dead. The police investigate but the trail goes cold. Until a chance assignment takes GBI investigator Will Trent to the state penitentiary, and to a prisoner who says he recognizes the MO. The attack looks identical to the one he was accused of eight years earlier. The prisoner’s always insisted that he was innocent, and now he’s sure he has proof. The killer is still out there.

As Will digs into both crimes it becomes clear that he must solve the original case in order to reach the truth. Yet nearly a decade has passed—time for memories to fade, witnesses to vanish, evidence to disappear. And now he needs medical examiner Sara Linton to help him hunt down a ruthless murderer. But when the past and present collide, everything Will values is at stake… – via Goodreads

Okay so I get ridiculously excited when I see Karin Slaughter is releasing a new book. Every time. I have been reading her books for around 12-13 years now, ever since I stumbled upon her first two books that someone was trying to bin. I read anything I could get my hands on, and they were new books from an unknown author in a genre I loved. I did not know what I was about to embark on was an absolute obsession. #noregrets

I was beyond stoked to see that we would be reading about Jeffrey Tolliver again. I am a fan of his, and I adore being able to go back to some original favourites. I love how the past and the present intermingle so effortlessly here. Reading in the present and flipping back to the past also brought up so much pain and suffering. All the angst, the worry, the fear, the heartbreak!

The Silent Wife is an excellent read. The relationships, as always, are nuanced and detailed and so real (I mean, we have been with these characters for over a decade). It’s awesome how Slaughter manages to keep things fresh, even this long on in a series. The book is twisty and genuinely scary at times, and it is so ridiculously exciting from page one.

So we return to Will Trent (also a huge fan) and Sara Linton and their fresh, icky case. Lena Adams makes a return as well, and it reminded me once again what an absolute nuisance that woman was. Ugh, what a character as well! Anyway, reading about the case and the developments hand in hand with the past is a tough one. I mean, I love Sara and Will together, and that she really does try to be so much more with him than she was with Jeffrey, and it did feel like cheating returning to Jeffrey, but man, it all works perfectly. I know, a love story, but really, Slaughter always works the romance in so naturally. What an emotional roller coaster! I NEED MORE!

All in all, The Silent Wife is yet another excellent piece of work from Karin Slaughter. The story is emotional and drags you right along for the ride, and is totally heart-stopping at times. I loved every minute of it and tried to drag the experience on for as long as possible – ask Natasha, I even did two hours of gardening (gardening!) to ensure I didn’t just tear through it super fast). As always, I highly recommend Slaughter’s work – it’s gory, dark, gritty, violent as hell and super intense, carried by very human characters and relationships throughout. Engaging read!

Review: Thirteen – Steve Cavanagh

Eddie Flynn #4

I received this book in exchange for an honest review. 

SYNOPSIS: They were Hollywood’s hottest power couple. They had the world at their feet. Now one of them is dead and Hollywood star Robert Solomon is charged with the brutal murder of his beautiful wife.

This is the celebrity murder trial of the century and the defence want one man on their team: con artist turned lawyer Eddie Flynn.

All the evidence points to Robert’s guilt, but as the trial begins a series of sinister incidents in the court room start to raise doubts in Eddie’s mind.

What if there’s more than one actor in the courtroom?

What if the killer isn’t on trial? What if the killer is on the jury? – via Goodreads

You know, this book impressed me because I really didn’t expect much from it at all. I did not know that it was a part of a series because it didn’t read like it was. Sure, references are made which will likely make way more sense if you have read the other books in the series, but did not stand out as an issue while reading, like you were missing something. Mentions of past actions or characters, etc. just felt like musings in the book, or indicators of how certain things came together, and it is rare that a book in a series can be read so successfully as a standalone.

Okay, now that I have marvelled the ability of the novel as a standalone, let’s get to the story itself. It was quite an interesting one, though it does require you suspend reality altogether, otherwise you are going to have a bad time. The pacing is super fast, and the book barrels along, which makes for an entertaining and fast read. The plot is constantly twisting and turning (albeit predictably at times), it is still fun. There are also quite a few characters to like in here.

It was pretty cool to read about this crazypants killer, but the reality of the killer did not quite live up to my expectations completely, but then again, maybe that is just due to the “suspend belief” thing. I found Thirteen to be quite a solid book for the story it tells. I liked it enough that I would happily check out other books in the series at some point. I would definitely recommend Thirteen if you are looking for a fast paced, crazy thriller, as it will definitely deliver on those fronts.

Review: Sea Witch – Sarah Henning

Sea Witch #1

SYNOPSIS: Everyone knows what happens in the end. A mermaid, a prince, a true love’s kiss. But before that young siren’s tale, there were three friends. One feared, one royal, and one already dead.

Ever since her best friend, Anna, drowned, Evie has been an outcast in her small fishing town. A freak. A curse. A witch.

A girl with an uncanny resemblance to Anna appears offshore and, though the girl denies it, Evie is convinced that her best friend actually survived. That her own magic wasn’t so powerless after all. And, as the two girls catch the eyes—and hearts—of two charming princes, Evie believes that she might finally have a chance at her own happily ever after.

But her new friend has secrets of her own. She can’t stay in Havnestad, or on two legs, unless Evie finds a way to help her. Now Evie will do anything to save her friend’s humanity, along with her prince’s heart—harnessing the power of her magic, her ocean, and her love until she discovers, too late, the truth of her bargain. – via Goodreads

So I recently read this after I convinced my colleague to purchase a Kindle for herself and she read a few books I recommended, and then branched out on her own to select a book for herself. That book was this, and she told me to give it a squizz, and naturally I decided to do so because that’s how it works – you recommend, and you take recommendations.

So she told me this was a retelling of The Little Mermaid, and after A Curse So Dark and Lonely, I am willing to give these retellings a shot because I quite enjoyed that. It’s crazy, I saw The Little Mermaid so many times when I was a child, and yet reading this I could hardly remember any of the movie and the story, just the broad strokes. So this wasn’t a bad read. It wasn’t a great read, either. It was simply an easy, quick read. Not one of the characters surprised me, and I never felt a real sense of urgency, or attraction, or tension, or anything. But it was a decent little time filler.

The story floats between the present and four years before, and between different characters, but the way the writer chose to present these scene changes was not my favourite thing, such as the raven haired girl did this, the blonde girl did that, the prince saw whatever – they have names and we know them. Use them. This is not generating intrigue or a sense of magic, it’s just annoying. I understand what the writer was going for with this book, I just wish it was darker, especially seeing as we are dealing with a variation of Ursula’s story, and not Ariel in the purest sense.

All being said, I liked it well enough and can recommend it for people who like the re-imagining of classics, I don’t know that I will be continuing with this series. I wanted darker and grittier, and this just didn’t really give me all that I had been hoping for, but it was an alright book to keep me in the swing of reading.

The Originals: Season 2 (2014 – 2015)

*CONTAINS SPOILERS*

What I liked: 

• Elijah and Hayley finally doing something about the things going on between them. Phew, thank goodness, it was getting a little intense.
• Mikael and Klaus working together. However brief, it was so cool to see what might have been. Sadly, it was incredibly short lived. Oh well.
• Kol has grown on me. A lot. I haven’t ever really been particularly keen on him, but when he came back as the witch Kaleb, and the way he changed and adapted? I grew rather fond of him. Plus, I really liked him and Davina together, quite nice.
• The whole Mikaelson clan making an appearance. You would assume this would be annoying, but surprisingly it just works.
• Vincent. I know that when he was Finn he peeved me, but when Vincent is Vincent and not possessed by a Mikaelson, he is pretty darn cool.

What I didn’t like:

• Jackson and Hayley. I really, really do want to like them, and he does love her, but the thing is, she went into this marriage due to obligation, and Elijah was crushed because of it, and goodness knows I am a Hayley?Elijah shipper, so just deal.
• This whole sticky situation with Klaus and Camille the whole time. I mean come on. They don’t actually have chemistry. I can buy into them being friends, but never actually more than that, it just doesn’t seem to come together very well. Plus, the bitch ain’t Caroline. #KlarolineForever
• Finn got irritating. I have never liked that slimy bastard, but he was just all over the damn show here. I thought that Caspar Xafer did a fantastic job portraying him, but sheesh!
• Freya. Goodness gracious me. The girl pitches up out of nowhere and just wants to pop in, take over, the whole shebang. Uhm, really?
• This Gia/Elijah bullshit situation. NOT A FAN!

Rating:

Plotsies afoot, plotsies afoot everywhere! I really quite liked this season! For one, there was all the crazy work initially with keeping a lid on the fact that baby Hope is alive and well, and Klaus had to look okay. When Marcel spoke of how weird it was that Klaus was not mourning and murdering together, I laughed. He is so right. Klaus and his politics, of course, were all over the show here, and the intensity and depravity of what he gets up to does not escape me.

The entire Mikaelson clan was alive at some point or other during this season, but that didn’t annoy me at all, anywhere. I mean, they are the original pretty much everything, so the regular rules totally aren’t going to apply here. The siblings facing off against Esther and her lackey, Finn, was going to be interested. From the beginning I was sure that Kol was not going to stick with them for long, and I was right. He quite grew on me this season, which was awesome, and he and Davina actually worked well together.

What really was sad, though, was seeing how Klaus had to deal with daddy dearest once again. Constant warring, and when you finally think they have made headway? Screw that, stake the bastard. I totally get why Klaus would though, he has always been rejected, bullied, and hurt by his father. It also broke my heart to see Hayley marry Jackson. Don’t get me wrong, I like the dude and all, but he is not Elijah, and Elijah and Hayley just click. Like, when they finally gave in to each other? My heart cheered, I was so happy about the whole situation. I knew it was doomed. Ugh. I should stop getting my hopes up.

Naturally, no peace can be known for the Mikaelsons, and one victory over mother dearest meant that they would have dearest Aunt Dahlia on their hands, and that was one hell of a sticky thing. Freya is not a character I can say that I love at all, something just seems off about her, but let’s see where this goes. I was impressed by how much Rebekah has grown on me since I first saw her in The Vampire Diaries. Goodness knows she is still flawed, but she is getting better, especially due to Hope, and getting into a witch body.

I am not a fan of the Elijah/Gia story-line, and I was glad when that was disposed of. So much actually happened this season, but it all worked wonderfully. I really wish they would stop forcing this Camille/Klaus thing, it’s like every now and then the show remembers they are supposed to be interested in each other, and send them to see each other again. I was so sad to see Aiden killed, and Josh’s heart broken, and the chain reaction that came from that was insane. Klaus, of course, for getting screwed over (and it was horribly sad to watch), responded as only he could – nobody can torture quite like our Klausie. Definitely a good season that looks fantastic, flows well, and is interesting throughout. Well worth a watch.