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alittlebookoflove · 4 years

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[Review]Devious Lies by Parker S Huntington

This ARC was given in exchange for an honest review

Devious lies is Parker S Huntington’s latest release and this enemies to lovers story follows the story of the interminable, powerful and ruthless Nash Prescott and his brother’s best friend, the beautiful, rich and snarky Emery Winthrop.

Nash is a formidable opponent and from the get go Parker shows you his very humble beginnings as the genius boy from the proverbial other side of the tracks upbringing. His family work for Emery’s and his brother is her best friend. Throughout the book and through I suppose a semi-flashback sequence you see how Nash has developed into the ruthless business tycoon he is today.

Emery, is not your typical spoilt princess character. In fact she is endearingly snarky and rebellious against the messed up high society rituals her mother tries to force on her in the wake of her family’s business scandal/downfall.

In this book we see how Nash is hellbent on avenging his father’s death that he feels has been caused by Emery’s family.

But in and amongst this tale of revenge is a love story of two characters who fight desperately against each other, their age gap (he’s older than her) their situation (he’s her boss), and the lies their families together.

Ultimately it’s a great story by Parker. I will say it’s full of angst and is probably a bit more slow burn than jam packed with steamy scenes. Still there ARE steamy scenes just not as many as I expected.

If you like Bastiano Romano I think this book has maybe a smidge less angst but similar vein. Also would defs recommend that book. Also as always I would be remiss not to recommend reading Ranieri Andretti’s book from her Five Syndicates mafia romance series. It’s my fave, always has been, probs always will be.

Devious Lies was a great foray away from the comfort of the mafia world but with the same powerful alpha hero and feisty heroines we have loved so much in previous Parker works.

Its out now - as of December 16th and it’s a fantastic read.

#contemporary romance #romance #enemiestolovers #parkershuntington #nash and emery #brothers bestfriend romance

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eddycurrents · 6 years

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For the week of 4 December 2017

Quick Bits:

Astonishing X-Men #6 concludes the first half of Charles Soule’s experiment into a non-fixed art team, featuring a new artist each issue. I’m still not convinced that it works for a long form story, but it has yielded some very pretty art, including this issue’s art from Mike del Mundo. There’s also a physical return from one of the characters in the book in an unexpected way. I’m still not sure it’s really him, something still feels very wrong about the whole thing, but it makes some interesting storytelling.

| Published by Marvel

Barbarella #1 is about as absurd as you’d expect. Love and lust outlawed, abundant female prison sex, and an oppressive religious patriarchy. Between Mike Carey’s script, Kenan Yarar’s art, and Crank!’s rectangular word balloons, this all feels very much like something out of Metal Hurlant. To me, that’s a good thing, but your mileage may vary. I like Yarar’s art, reminds me a lot of Mortiat.

| Published by Dynamite

Black Cloud #6 returns from its trade break, kicking off its second story arc with a focus on Frank and some really nice guest art from Paul Reinwand.

| Published by Image

Extremity #9 is pretty damn amazing. I mean, every issue of Extremity is like reading pure gold, a perfect mix of characters, action, and stunning artwork, but this issue is one hell of a heartwrencher. Daniel Warren Johnson just keeps getting better and better.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Faith’s Winter Wonderland Special is a fun fantasy adventure from Marguerite Sauvage, Francis Portela, MJ Kim, and Andrew Dalhouse that sees Faith need to come to the rescue of one of her childhood programme hosts in an interesting commentary on imagination versus consumerism.

| Published by Valiant

The Gravediggers Union #2 brings things more into focus as it gives shape to the prime movers working behind the scenes to cause the chaos occurring on the supernatural levels. Toby Cypress’ art is just perfect for this.

| Published by Image

Klaus and the Crisis in Xmasville #1 is another great instalment in this series. There’s just something magical about this collaboration between Grant Morrison and Dan Mora and this issue is no different. Mora’s art alone is worth it, especially when it comes to his use of colour and shading.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

The Mighty Crusaders #1 isn’t half bad. The main draw is Kelsey Shannon’s artwork, but Ian Flynn’s story isn’t a bad set-up. It does play upon the history and legacy of the Mighty Crusaders characters, but it’s not really an impediment to new readers understanding anything.

| Published by Archie Comics / Dark Circle

No. 1 With a Bullet #2 is some pretty heavy stuff. It begins dealing with the fallout of Nash Huang’s privacy being violated through a sex tape she don’t know was being filmed leaking to the public. Jacob Semahn does a great job of showing the common reactions of the public, as well as how shattered the target of such a violation’s personal life can become. Coupled with the art of Jorge Corona, this is really shaping up to be one of the best things Image is publishing right now, and Image is publishing a lot of great books.

| Published by Image

Paradiso #1 is yet another stunning debut from Image. It’s sci-fi, but its world actually kind of reminds me of China Miéville’s New Crobuzon. This world looks lived in, broken, and winding down, but still filled with a hint of magic (or technology as it were). Ram V does a good job of teasing us with this world, and the life of Jack Kryznan, but it’s Devmalya Pramanik’s art that gives it real substance. Pramanik has a style that reminds me a bit of a mix between John Ridgway and Eddie Campbell which, when mixed with Dearbhla Kelly and Alex Sollazzo’s colours, just make this book look amazing.

| Published by Image

Rasputin: Voice of the Dragon #2 sees Bruttenholm investigate further into Albert Mayhew and his manor. Christopher Mitten once again shows us some beautiful artwork and layouts.

| Published by Dark Horse

Sleepless #1 makes this series look like the story may be a bit of a slow burn. It also shows that every series should probably have a fennec in it. We’re introduced to Poppy, the illegitimate daughter of a deceased king, and her protector, Cyrenic, a “sleepless” knight, at the time of the coronation of Poppy’s uncle as the new king. The pacing gives Leila del Duca’s art a lot of time to breathe, but we’re light on any explanation here beyond the surface so far.

| Published by Image

Star Wars: Darth Vader #9 kicks off Jocasta Nu’s battle against the dark side in the Jedi Archives in earnest. This issue sees her take on the Grand Inquisitor, who is shown still as an overzealous, arrogant adversary. Next issue promises the confrontation with Vader himself.

| Published by Marvel

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #77 regroups a bit from the action, having the Triceratons lick their wounds and meet up with the Turtles, while the Foot have a discussion with Agent Bishop. It’s interesting and disconcerting still to see Splinter as the “bad guy”.

| Published by IDW

Venom Inc.: Alpha has some wonderful artwork from Ryan Stegman. His layouts, as usual, add a lot to the storytelling and visual flow of the story, and they’re just immensely readable. The story itself is interesting as well. It looks like we may finally be getting an explanation for how Flash lost the symbiote, but in the meantime, we’ve also got a villainous faction stealing Mania, and potentially birthing more.

| Published by Marvel

Violent Love #10 brings the series to a close with numerous revelations. I wish there were more to come for the series, but this has been a great ride. Victor Santos’ art is perfectly suited to crime comics and Frank Barbiere has managed to craft characters in Daisy and Rock that you truly care about.

| Published by Image

Witchblade #1 is a promising new beginning. The art from Roberta Ingranata and Bryan Valenza is very nice. Ingranata’s art reminds me a bit of Peter Gross and Mark Buckingham, probably a little more spare, and when coupled with Valenza’s rich blues gives the book a kind of dreamlike quality about it. We’re left to wonder a bit about the details of exactly what’s going on, but Caitlin Kittredge certainly makes it compelling.

| Published by Image / Top Cow

Other Highlights: Agent 47: Birth of the Hitman #2, Alters #8, Archie #26, Avengers #674, Black Bolt #8, Captain America #696, Doctor Strange #382, The Fix #10, Giant Days #33, Guardians of the Galaxy #148, Hawkeye #13, Iceman #8, Inhumans: Once & Future Kings #5, Iron Fist #75, Love & Rockets #4, Mirror #9, Moonstruck #4, Noble #7, Paper Girls #18, Red Sonja #11, Rock Candy Mountain #6, Scales & Scoundrels #4, Spider-Man #235, Spirits of Vengeance #3, Throwaways #10, The Unbelievable Gwenpool #23, Usagi Yojimbo #164

Recommended Collections: Babyteeth - Volume 1, Black Bolt - Volume 1: Hard Time, Judge Dredd: Mega City Zero, Micronauts: Wrath of Karza, Lumberjanes - Volume 7, Rick & Morty - Volume 6, Rocket Girl - Volume 2, Shirtless Bear-Fighter, Star Wars - Volume 6: Out Among the Stars

d. emerson eddy has miles to go before he sleeps.

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junker-town · 5 years

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Brandon Ingram is turning potential into production for the Pelicans

Brandon Ingram is taking his game to new heights in 2019-2020.

The former Laker is starring for the Pelicans without Zion Williamson.

Can Brandon Ingram become an NBA superstar? It’s the question the New Orleans Pelicans had to ask themselves before succumbing to the pressure to deal Anthony Davis over the summer. And it’s one the Los Angeles Lakers couldn’t figure out after drafting him No. 2 overall.

For his first few seasons, fans could talk themselves into Brandon Ingram, top NBA prospect. He’s skinny, but look at that wingspan! That shooting form isn’t pretty, but look at the threes he hit at Duke. He doesn’t have an alpha mentality, but he kinda looks like Kevin Durant, right? But three seasons in, he never looked the part of a star like draftmate Ben Simmons.

The 2019-20 season has been a different story for BI so far. Three games in, he’s flipping his label from top prospect to top player. He peaked on Saturday night when the Pels lost a close game to the title-contending Houston Rockets. Tying a career-high with 35 points on 14-of-22 shooting, he was the best player on a court that included two MVPs in James Harden and Russell Westbrook. He had 15 rebounds and five assists to three turnovers, too.

It’s an extremely small sample, but Ingram’s averaging 27 points, nine rebounds, four assists and two blocks on 53 percent shooting from the field and from distance. He looks no different. He’s still just 22 years old and rail-thin. But he’s finally learning to use the tools that made him a great college basketball player four years ago.

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Ingram’s finding ways to overcome his slender body

As a 6’9 forward with a 7’3 wingspan, there aren’t many like Ingram. That comes with a downside. He’s damn skinny. He gets comps to Jack Skellington, and they’re fair. He weighs all of 190 pounds (that’s maybe 10 more pounds than an in-his-prime Steve Nash), and as a Laker, he’d get knocked around the paint and stripped on his way to the bucket.

This isn’t a story of a small player hitting the weight room excessively, though. Instead, he’s flexing his brain muscles. He’s been smarter with how he uses what he does have. Ingram’s dribble are tighter to his frame and less likely to be poked free. And he’s keeping the ball up and away, making full use of the extension his wingspan allows.

As Ingram drives from the top of the arc, he uses his steps to keep the ball out rather than up. His reach makes it hard for any defender to tap the ball out of his hands, and if they do, they’re likely to foul him in the act. Then he’s able to see over the top and either shoot a runner or pass out to a shooter.

Maybe he’ll never out-physical his way through the lane like LeBron James or Giannis Antetokounmpo. But he can score in ways that are effective for Brandon Ingram.

Ingram is shooting well, too

Shooting was always the biggest question mark for Ingram’s career. He’s a below-average shooter from the free throw line and has woeful tendencies to post up and heave contested mid-range shots a la Kawhi Leonard, but to much worse results. Last year, more than one-third of Ingram’s shot attempts came between the 10-foot mark and a step inside the three-point line. He shot just 39 percent from 10-16 feet away from the hoop and 44 percent from 16 feet to the three-point line.

The tl;dr: Ingram’s shot selection was brutal and his talents weren’t enough to justify the looks he was taking.

In New Orleans, Ingram’s comfortably operating his own offense. He’s still taking shots he shouldn’t, but much less of them. And finally, he’s moving to the three-point line. In three games, he’s taken 19 and made 10 of them. In the entire 2018-19 season he took 94 and made 31.

The more frequently Ingram shoots from the outside, the more the defense has to honor him. And the further stretched out the defense becomes, the easier it’ll be for him to use his incredible size to get to the hoop.

What about Ingram’s fit with Zion?

The more time Ingram has to find his way through NBA defenses, the better for his personal development. But what about his team’s?

The Pelicans have puzzle pieces. Ingram and Lonzo Ball are major ones on tight deadlines as each are set to become restricted free agents. The main question for Ingram will be his fit next to Zion Williamson.

Zion’s the key to making New Orleans special. He’ll demand more touches as the heir to Anthony Davis’s throne. Will Ingram help him get there? After not signing an extension at the deadline, is Ingram even in the Pelicans’ long-term plans?

It’s too soon to say. He’s a better passer, but not a great one. He’s an improving shooter, but still doesn’t stretch defenses out to the arc. He’ll need to shoot consistently to help keep the lane open for himself, and for Zion, who also isn’t great from range. Ingram needs to keep his current level of play up for the two months it takes Zion to recover from his meniscus surgery.

In the meantime, with Williamson out, Ingram launching into stardom is the next-best thing New Orleans could hope for. He’s finally outgrowing his label of top prospect and becoming a top player in the league.

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