Movie Review: Clan of the Cave Bear (1986)

🎬 Movie Review: The Clan of the Cave Bear (1986)

Rating: 🥃
Flames: 🔥

Cold as prehistoric soup

I went into this movie hoping for a nostalgic, if slightly cheesy, adaptation of Jean M. Auel’s The Clan of the Cave Bear. What I got instead was… a mostly silent, confusing, and emotionally flat experience that would’ve completely lost me if I hadn’t read the books.

The biggest issue? No subtitles for the sign language. The Clan communicates almost entirely through hand signals, and while that’s true to the source material, it completely alienates the viewer here. There’s no narration, no explanation, and no way to form a connection with the characters. It’s all grunts, glares, and gestures—with zero emotional weight behind it. I found myself constantly guessing what was happening, and not in a good way.

ARC Review: Vox by Christina Dalcher

Pub. Date:	Aug. 21, 2018
Publisher:	Berkley
Length:	336 pgs
Source:	NetGalley

Wow, well. This book is a big ol' DNF for me. And let me preface that by saying that I am not really religious. I'm not quite agnostic. I believe in a higher power, and I will attend church the 1-2x per year that I go home to visit my parents on holidays. But I'm not a habitual attender at organized religion, and I don't care what anyone else's religion is. I kinda find them all interesting after taking a theology class in college that delved into all kinds of historical religions and religious practices. To each their own is my belief, and no one religion should speak against another unless of course evil acts are being carried put in the guise of religion. Then it would be appropriate to speak against the group carrying out those acts, not the religion as a whole.

ARC Review: Song of Blood and Stone by L. Penelope

Series:	Earthsinger Chronicles #1
Pub. Date:	May 1, 2018
Publisher:	St. Martin's Press
Length:	384 pgs
Source:	NetGalley

I really wanted to like this story, and I tried really hard, giving it much longer than I normally would when I do not enjoy a story. I gave this one to about 72% before I had to DNF.

The premise was very interesting. The focus is on two kingdoms separated by a magical barrier (the mantle), one side bearing magic users (Lagrimari) and the other side as non-magical (Elsira). The Lagrimari are persons of color and the Elsirans are pale and flame-haired. The races have been at war for a very long time, with an evil ruler in Lagrimari who steals his people's power and seeks to shatter the mantle and invade Elsira. 

Audiobook Review: The Queens of Innis Lear by Tessa Gratton

Pub. Date:	March 27, 2018
Publisher:	Macmillan Audio
Narrators::	Kate Reading
Length:	26 hrs 21 min
Source:	Publisher

Plot, plot, where is the plot? I've given The Queens of Innis Lear more than 11 hours of my life. Unfortunately, I don't think I can give it more. This audiobook is a monster at nearly 26.5 hours long, and I made it to just about 43%. I kept sallying forth waiting for something to happen... but I have grown too impatient to continue.

I really wanted to like this story. The story is a retelling of Shakespeare's King Lear supposedly told in a Game of Thrones style drama and battle. Sounds interesting, right? It could have been, but nothing ever happens and it became tiresome and boring.

Audiobook Review: Untouchable Darkness by Rachel Van Dyken

Series:	Dark Ones #2
Pub. Date:	Feb. 27, 2018
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Narrators:	Chris Chambers Hollie Jackson
Length:	8 hrs 12 min
Source:	Publisher

I tried really really hard with this book. I gave it 6.5 hours of my life - that's 80% of the audiobook. But I was really forcing it for most of the book. I think that this writing style just does not work for me. It's very abrupt and almost jarring at times. The transitions threw me out of the story... and I can honestly say that after listening to most of the book, I barely know what the storyline was. I felt like this was more of an outline of a story than an actual full story.

Throwback Thursday Audiobook Review: Silver Storm by Cynthia Wright

Silver Storm 
by Cynthia Wright
Series:  Rakes & Rebels #1 / Raveneau #1
Pub. Date: July 12, 1979
Audio Pub.:  Feb. 13, 2014
Publisher:  Self-Pub
Narrator:  Emily Beresford
Length:  11 hrs 5 min
Format:  Audiobook
Source:  Audible


My Rating:  
Sultry Scale:

Set in 1781, during the Revolutionary War, SILVER STORM is the passionate tale of Andre Raveneau and Devon Lindsay who are thrown together when she stows away on his privateer after the British burn her home in New London, CT. The irresistible Captain Raveneau agrees to take her to Virginia to find her childhood sweetheart, but fate has other plans. Through intrigue, misunderstandings, and swashbuckling sea battles, Devon and Andre are swept away by a love that won’t be denied.

I was stoked to find this old bodice ripper for free on Amazon with audible narration available for a discount rate. Unfortunately, I wish I hadn't spent my money on this one. The writing was extremely juvenile to me and wholly lacking the maturity I would expect from a 38 y/o hero and a historical heroine over the age of 18. Set during the time of the Revolutionary War, there is a lot of room for action and world building... but both were severely lacking in this story. When you think you are about to get some fast-paced action, it halts abruptly and goes in another direction.

Review: Broken by Annie Jocoby

Broken 
by Annie Jocoby
Series: Broken #1 (Spinoff of Illusions)
Pub. Date:  Jan. 6, 2014
Publisher:  Tobann Publications
Pages:  258
Format: eBook
Source: Amazon



My Rating:  

Nick O'Hara is, for lack of a better word, a man-wh***. Look in the Urban Dictionary under that word, and his name will no doubt be mentioned. The only qualifications that he looks for in a bed-mate is that the person is hot and breathing. Mainly hot. He has no desire for an emotional connection with another person, and that's the way he lives his life. He has his fabulous wealth and his reputation as a premiere architect, and that's enough for him. 

Until Scotty James. 

Scotty is a graduate student at Columbia University in New York City. She's broken from traumatic experiences from her years in foster care and homelessness. She has a vulnerability that is intoxicating to Nick, because, deep down, he knows that he is as broken as she. 

When Nick pursues Scotty, it seems that she is the only woman who doesn't want to be with him. At first she's a challenge, but Nick soon finds himself falling in love for the first time in his life. With a woman who wants nothing to do with him. 

Can Scotty overcome her trust issues and fear to let Nick in? Or will she prove to be too broken to trust?

Well I tried with this one, but I am at odds with the writing style. This is my second endeavor by this author, the first being Exposure. I ended up feeling similar regarding both attempts. I couldn't connect with the characters, and they seemed very immature to me for what their stations in life were supposed to be.

I will start with Scotty, this tortured heroine who has a drunk for a mother and was sexually abused by a foster father. This is a horrible situation... but I never really felt for Scotty. There was not much to trigger any emotion in me. I felt like she was a perma-victim and whiny and needed a backbone. Normally with a tortured heroine, I get some kind of emotional connection. But I got not an iota of empathy here.

Moving on to Nick... he utterly confused me. He was all about Ryan and Iris - referring to these people and their life and how he loved them like I was supposed to know who they are. Turns out - this is a spinoff of the Illusions series (which was Ryan and Iris' story). I have not read that series and would have liked to have known that I needed to read it first. This Broken series does not seem to be a standalone to me because of the constant referencing to the other people. Nick also started talking about Rielle and his girls somewhere after 25% and I was like - Who? Turns out he has an ex-wife and two daughters. That must have also been part of the original series because we got no backstory there. Nick is a shallow d-bag. He is very immature for someone who is supposed to be a renowned rich architect. I didn't like his manwhore behavior... and it didn't make sense that he had this instalove for the perma-victim in Scotty.

I also never want to hear that the male lead tongued someone.  I don't like that word. I don't know why - but it doesn't sound sexy.  There are lots of other options. Licked, laved, lapped, tasted, sampled... the list goes on and on. 

This author is super nice so I hate that I can't get down with the writing style. It may be just me... my friend Deanna likes this author and her stories. But I have not been able to make myself finish one. DNF at 38%.

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Review: Cuba Undercover by Linda Bond

Cuba Undercover 
by Linda Bond
Pub. Date:  July 14, 2015
Publisher:  Entangled Suspect
Pages:  221
Format:  eARC
Source:  NetGalley
   

My Rating:  

Cuban-American TV reporter Rebecca Menendez's success comes from playing by the rules. When she's kidnapped by a fierce and intensely handsome man who needs her help, however, all of those rules seem pointless. Nothing could have prepared her for being taken hostage...or the irresistible reward if she complies: information about her long-thought dead father.

Antonio Vega has spent almost every day of his adult life dreaming of revenging his father's death. With his sister's life and freedom in jeopardy, Antonio isn't taking any chances. But once Rebecca and Antonio are in Cuba, they're immersed in a world of corruption, deceit, and betrayal. It's a deadly game...and there are no rules. 

I gave this one the old college try, but this book is just not for me. I didn't care for the characters. Antonio was an angry a-hole, and Rebecca lacked depth. The romance between the two was not believable for me. There was no warmth or emotion to it.

Given my profession, I am also at odds with the alien smuggling. At around 67%, in regard to bringing Cubans over on a private boat and landing at a marina, Rebecca states that they "did it the right way" and "didn't break any laws." This is absolutely untrue. It is unlawful to bring undocumented immigrants into the US. You can be prosecuted under 18 USC 1324, 1325 and 1326... and any vessel/conveyance used in the transportation is subject to seizure and forfeiture. So I didn't like how they blew that off as a non-issue.

I started skimming at around 40%, then abandon it officially by 76%. There were some positives - I love the cover, and the descriptions of Cuba were interesting and unique. Dawg, the videographer, was funny sometimes (but the humor was forced at others).

I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Unfortunately it just was not for me.

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Review: Captive, Mine by Natasha Knight and Trent Evans

Captive, Mine by Natasha Knight

My Rating:  
Sultry Scale:

The day my father agreed to testify against Terrence Randall, one of the most ruthless drug traffickers in North America, was the day I became the target of the drug lord’s enraged vengeance. I was the one thing that stood in the way of Daddy’s testimony, and the one thing that could save Randall. The man would stop at nothing to get his hands on me. 

I was prepared for what was coming — as prepared as one could be when vanishing into the U.S. Marshal’s Witness Protection Program. 

I just wasn’t prepared for him. 

For ex-Navy SEAL turned mercenary Lake Freeman, escorting Lily Cross into the Witness Protection Program was just another job — until a better offer came along. Lake couldn’t have cared less about the life he’d been hired to protect. After all, she was a part of the very organization that had cost him so much already. 

At least he never expected to care. 

But when forced into a decision he never thought he’d have to make, the mission became one of survival for himself and his beautiful charge. Lake knew that in order to protect her, he’d need to bring the feisty and unpredictable Lily to heel — he couldn't keep her safe if he couldn't keep her under control. 

But that protective urge quickly turned into something else, something dark ... and his need to conquer, to claim, overrode all else. 

He would keep her safe. He would keep her protected. But he would make her his, as well. 

Now, all he had to do was figure out how to keep them both alive long enough to do it... 

Publisher's Warning: Intended for mature readers. 18 and over only! 

This is a MF BDSM romantic suspense. Themes include: graphic sexuality, pervasive D/s, exhibitionism, spanking, bondage, anal play and other BDSM activities. If such content might offend you, please do not purchase this book. 

I am a fan of dark romances and romantic suspense, but this story did not work for me. The story lacked depth, and there was little plot or character development.

There was not enough danger or suspense for this to be classified as a romantic suspense. We know they are on the run, but are they really? They are holed up in a cabin for most of the story, then them being "found" lasts for a few minutes before they are off and saying goodbye to one another.

And let's talk about what happened at the cabin. A lot of BDSM activity leaning very heavily toward the sadism side. I didn't buy Lake's reasons for Lily's training and punishment. Lake came across to me as a horrible person who liked to hurt and humiliate her. I almost abandoned the book when she was leashed and made to use the bathroom outside like a dog.

For a dark story to work, at least for me, there needs to be a strong emotional connection, or a complete redemption of the male character. The lack of character development killed in this regard. There was potential, we know Lake has a dead wife who he lost to drugs. But she was only briefly mentioned. The author could've done more delving into Lake's psyche, connected his dead wife to his need to punish Lily, or something. But we never really learn why Lake does what he does. It was a huge disappointment.

I did feel sorry for Lily, but I never connected to her. I only felt sorry for her pain and humiliation. This was a classic Stockholm story-line, without sufficient detail to make me understand why she fell for her captor.

At the end, I wish I would've stopped reading when she was crawling around on the leash. I was just hoping that SOMETHING was gonna happen to improve the story.

I would not recommend this book to those who are bothered by reading about sex with sadistic tendencies including, but not limited to, severe strappings, extreme humiliation, and anal punishment. If that's what floats your boat (and I don't judge) then you will probably enjoy this book much more than I did. I would recommend it to Tiffany Reisz fans. I would not recommend it if you look for an emotional connection in these books, similar to what we see in Aleatha Romig's dark romances.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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