62. Flame by Chelle Bliss

listened on Audible

narrated by Samantha Brentmoor  & Jason Clarke

Unabridged audio (7:32)
2019
320 pgs.
Adult Romance
Finished 6/12/2021
Goodreads rating: 4.24 - 3372 ratings
My rating: 2.5

First line/s: "Life is a series of mistakes.  I've made my fair share of them."

My comments: Just another sexy biker/tattooist/romance with one protagonist alone and without family and the other having so much family that they can't breathe.  Entertaining but getting very tired of this particular genre.

Goodreads synopsis:  Could you love a man surrounded by danger?

          Gigi Gallo’s childhood was filled with the roar of a motorcycle and the hum of a tattoo gun. Fresh out of college, she’s about to start working at her family’s tattoo studio — Inked. But when she shows up the first day, she never expects to run into someone tall, dark, and totally sexy from her not-so-innocent past.

        Pike Moore is a bossy biker with a cocky attitude and an even bigger ego. He came to Inked to start over. New town. New job. New roots. None of that included coming face-to-face with the hot chick who spent a week in his bed before she vanished without a trace.
        But when Pike’s dark family history catches up with him, can he stop Gigi from being caught in the crossfire?

104. Beyond the Night by Joss Ware and Colleen Gleason

listened to Audible via CHIRP
narrated  by Sebastian Fields
Unabridged audio (10:34)
2000, Harper Collins
357 pgs.
Adult Dystopia/Romance
Finished 10/24/2019
Goodreads rating: 3.60 - 1588 ratings
My rating:  1.5
Setting:  Future Las Vegas

First line/s:  " 'She went after them!" Elliot Drake exclaimed as he jumped over a half wall to join two of his four companions."

My comments:  I don't understand why they would put such a misleading cover on this book.  I think it would encourage many people who would enjoy the story NOT to read it.  I totally look forward to good character development in a story, and this really didn't have much of that.  It is the basis for a really good dystopian adventure, but it's too much telling and very little showing.  Even the parts that are supposed to be steamy aren't very steamy, IMO.  All in all, a very disappointing book.  The story outline is excellent, but it's written very badly.

Goodreads synopsis:  A man with no future . . .
          When Dr. Elliott Drake wakes from a mysterious fifty-year sleep, the world as he knew it is gone. Cities are now desolate, and civilization is controlled by deadly immortals. Stranger still is Elliott's extraordinary new "gift"--he has the power to heal, but it comes with fatal consequences.
          A woman with a past . . .
          Jade barely escaped the immortals and is now hell-bent on revenge. She trusts no one . . . until Elliott. His piercing gaze and tempting touch shatter her defenses, but the handsome doctor seems to have dangerous secrets of his own. Is it safe to trust him with her heart?
If they are to survive in this dark new world, Jade and Elliott must work together to fight the forces that take them beyond danger.
           Beyond desire.

101. Driven to Distraction by Lori Foster

listened to Audio, but also have on Kindle for some strange reason...
narrated  by John Lane
Unabridged audio (9:20)
2018, HQN
384 pgs.
Genre/Level
Finished 10/16/2019
Goodreads rating:  3.95 - 1785 ratings
My rating:  1.5

First line/s:  "Mary Daniels huffed as she continued to climb the rock path on the hillside, her briefcase in hand."

My comments:  One of the most forgettable books I've ever read.  All telling, no showing.  Macho men - either goody-goody characters of badly bad, right down to the perfect pooch, who the extremely deep-voiced supposed hunk talks to using baby talk.  The narrator, a good reader, had such a deep voice that I could not alight it with the character that was drawn by the author.  For me, this book was a mess.  And the plot?   Ridiculous.

Goodreads synopsis:  When desire gets this hot, you’d better buckle up…
          Mary Daniels doesn’t let anything get in the way of her job acquiring rare artifacts for her wealthy boss. But this particular obstacle—huge, hard-muscled, unashamedly masculine—is impossible to ignore. Stuck in a cramped car with Brodie Crews for hours en route to their new assignment, Mary feels her carefully crafted persona—and her trademark self-control—is slipping, and she won’t allow it.
          Brodie can’t imagine what secret in Mary’s past has left her so buttoned-up, though he’d dearly love to find out. Maybe then she’d trust him enough to explore their explosive chemistry. But he needs this job, so he’ll play by her rules and bide his time…until an enemy determined to outwit them strikes and he needs to get close—in every way—to protect her. Otherwise they could lose much more than a precious collectible. They could lose it all.

MOVIE - A Million Ways to Die in the West

R (1:56)
Wide release 5/30/2014
Century Gateway on Kolb, Sunday night (7:40 show! How decadent!) 8-10-14
RT Critic:  33   Audience:  43
cag: 1.5 - Mostly NOPE
Directed by Seth MacFarlane
Universal Pictures

Seth MacFarlane, Charlize Theron, Liam Neeson, Neil Patrick Harris, Amanda Siefried, Giovanni Ribisi, Sarah Silverman

My thoughts:  There were some funny, silly places, but all-in-all this movie was mainly a colossal waste-of-time. I don't mind x-rated kind of stuff - I'm even know to enjoy it - but the sheer crudeness of many of the "jokes" were definitely unneeded.  There was one set of scenes, out in the desert with Cochise and a band of his men, that was particularly well done, funny, and worthwhile. I went because of this incredible list of good actors. I can't believe that this movie is STILL in the cheap theaters, and at almost 8 o'clock on a Sunday night there were at least three dozen people in the theater watching it....

RT Summary:  Seth MacFarlane directs, produces, co-writes and plays the role of the cowardly sheep farmer Albert in A Million Ways to Die in the West. After Albert backs out of a gunfight, his fickle girlfriend leaves him for another man. When a mysterious and beautiful woman rides into town, she helps him find his courage and they begin to fall in love. But when her husband, a notorious outlaw, arrives seeking revenge, the farmer must put his newfound courage to the test.