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lboogie1906 · 2 years

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Laurence John Fishburne III (born July 30, 1961) is an actor. He is a three-time Emmy Award and Tony Award-winning actor known for his roles on stage and screen. He has been hailed for his forceful, militant, and authoritative characters in his films. He is known for playing Morpheus in The Matrix series (1999–2003), Jason "Furious" Styles in Boyz n the Hood (1991), Tyrone "Mr. Clean" Miller in Apocalypse Now (1979), and "The Bowery King" in the John Wick film series (2017–present). He received positive reviews for his first acting role in If You Give a Dance You Gotta Pay the Band. He portrayed Joshua Hall on One Life to Live. His most memorable childhood role was in Cornbread, Earl, and Me. He later earned a supporting role in Apocalypse Now. For his portrayal of Ike Turner in What's Love Got to Do With It, he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. He won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his performance in Two Trains Running, and an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his performance in TriBeCa. He became the first African American to portray Othello in a motion picture by a major studio when he appeared in the film adaptation of the Shakespeare play. Other film credits include the Cotton Club (1984), The Color Purple (1985), School Daze (1988), King of New York (1990), Higher Learning (1993), Hoodlum (1997), Biker Boyz (2001), Mystic River (2003), Contagion (2011), and Last Flag Flying (2017). He has gained a wider audience with Man of Steel (2013), Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), and Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018). On television, he starred as Dr. Raymond Langston on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2008–2011), as Special Agent Jack Crawford in Hannibal (2013–2015), and as Earl "Pops" Johnson in Black-ish (2014-2022). He is currently starring in the Broadway revival of American Buffalo. He was born in Augusta, Georgia, the son of Hattie Bell, junior high school mathematics and science teacher, and Laurence John Fishburne, Jr., a juvenile corrections officer. He moved to Brooklyn, where he was raised. He is a graduate of Lincoln Square Academy in New York. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence https://www.instagram.com/p/CgosFlkLZBgNZ4uZRvHybMTnVyf2RzGs7eCLPI0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

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romancereadingdiva · 4 years

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Campfire Chaos by K Webster

I crave this kind of chaos! 👑👑👑👑

I loved this book, because I crave this kind of chaos! Chaos that included enemies to lovers, action, emotions, and strong characters. I loved and admired Charlotte. After her experience with her ex-boyfriend, she pieced her life back together and became a better and stronger person. She found her claws! She was completely sorry for what happened to Terrence, but his best friend Cal does not want to let her off the hook that easily. He realized her can’t completely hate her but messing with her was satisfying. But she doesn’t let him rattle her; she gives just as good as she gets with Cal. Once they recognized that they are drawn to each other not out of hatred but out of craving for each other, it was addicting to read. Char grasped Cal made her feel alive when she was numb and made her feel cared for and safe which was the opposite of her ex. When Cal discerned that Char got under his skin with her claws, sassy attitude, it turned his whole world upside down. Cal really was a “devilish hero,” and I couldn’t get enough of him! The action at the end left me gasping and sick to my stomach. I rooted for Cal and Char the whole the time, and when I read the ending of this book I was teary eyed and happy for them. I craved and devoured every minute of their story that took me on a roller coaster ride emotions, love and action. I definitely recommend this book and series!

*I received an advanced copy of this ebook for my honest review.*

Blurb:

I had it all.

Popularity. Good grades. Cheerleading. Doting family and great friends.

Until the wrong boy swept into my perfect world and destroyed every part of it.

Abuse. Drugs. Humiliation.

He trampled all over my reputation and I was powerless to do anything about it.

I couldn’t break free from his controlling hold.

But the night of the accident changed everything.

Now I’m freed at last.

It comes at a cost, though. I hurt a Hoodlum.

I can’t fix him, but I can fix me.

Without the monster in my life, I grow stronger, fiercer, braver.

I’m on the right track to cleaning up the mess that is my life.

Repairing friendships.

Restoring trust with my family.

Healing from my recent, terrible past.

Everything was going to be okay.

Or so I thought.

Because I have a new problem.

Cal Hutton.

Town’s lawless, gorgeous bad boy. A Hood River Hoodlum. My new nemesis.

He wants me to pay for what I did to his best friend.

Cal thinks I’m weak and an unworthy adversary, someone he can toy with.

But I’ll never allow another man to have that power over me.

I have claws now.

I fight back.

This is a full-length high school enemies-to-lovers, forbidden, and new adult romance with high angst, suspense, and gutting emotion. It's book three in the Hood River Hoodlum series that will have interlinking storylines. Campfire Chaos shouldn't be read as a standalone and is the continuation of a four-book planned series that gives each Hoodlum a book. The first book in the series is the only MM story. The others, including this one, are MF.

Available Now!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/36iegfm

Amazon International: mybook.to/CampfireChaos

Apple: https://apple.co/2XuNDRH

B&N: https://bit.ly/3eIgOGp

Kobo: https://bit.ly/306rbzR

Eden Books: https://bit.ly/2U7BcJm

Add to your Goodreads TBR: https://bit.ly/2A078rI

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thecomicsnexus · 4 years

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TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES ADVENTURES #71-72 (FINAL ISSUE) SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 1995 BY STEVE SULLIVAN, BRIAN THOMAS AND FREDDY MENDEZ

SYNOPSIS (FROM COMIC VINE)

Splinter and April are chatting in the sewer about the Turtles when the Sensei is reminded of a tale.

Years before, as Splinter was bringing home some pizzas to his very young students, he overheard a conversation on the street via a sewer grate. A young woman named Lynda Ling was being pressured by her attorney to sell her martial arts school and weaponry to Slujjcorp, which had designs on the dying neighborhood in which the building stood. Lynda told her lawyer that her deceased husband, David, a martial arts movie star, had left the building and business to her, and she had no intention of selling out. Reluctantly the attorney tells the woman that he will fight the corporate buy-out as long as he's able and he drives off. Splinter reveals that before he had mutated, he had been good friends with Lynda and David.

Later that night, as Splinter watched the shop from the sewers, several thugs arrived at Lynda's studio and told her to move out. Lynda, a martial artist in her own right, did not take kindly to their threats and proceeded to kick their butts. The hoodlums fled and Master Splinter returned home.

The thugs returned to their warehouse hideout, where a shadowy man in a suit gave them robotic exoskeletons so they'd be better prepared to fight Lynda. Confident with their new abilities, the hoods went back to Lynda's school. However, expecting the worst, Splinter had brought his students with him and they watched the martial arts academy, anticipating trouble. Soon enough, the crooks returned and broke into the academy. Lynda put up a good fight, but her skills were no match for the super human exoskeletons. One villain violently kicked the woman to the ground, just as the TMNT and Splinter arrived.

Splinter rescued Lynda while the tiny Turtles battled the super-powered thugs. Unfortunately for the young terrapins, their bo staffs were no match for the robotic exoskeletons' abilities, and each weapon was quickly broken. The villains noticed Splinter had taken Lynda, and they rushed after their quarry. Mike took two pieces of his broken staff and tied them together so they resembled nunchakus and threw them. The handles wrapped themselves around one thug's ankles and he fell into the others, sending all four sprawling down a long and winding stairwell.

One hoodlum turned and sent a spray of fire out of his glove up the stairs towards the Turtles. The blaze lit the Turtles' overcoats on fire and they dove through a door and rolled until the fires were out. They quickly discovered that they were in the weaponry area of the building.

As the crooks faced Splinter and the fallen form of Lynda, the Turtles erupted through the burning building with their trademark weapons now in hand. Armed with better equipment, the mutants quickly dispatched their foes. As Lynda awoke, Splinter and the Turtles ran for cover, while the woman lamented that she didn't get a chance to thank them.

Later, it was discovered that a local contractor, Don Tower, was behind the fires that were decimating the neighborhoods that Slujjcorp had designs upon. As the police hauled Tower to jail, TV reporters and firemen arrived on the scene. Lynda told the press that she wanted to thank the mystery men who had helped her. Suddenly, Shelton Slujj arrived on the scene and told Lynda that his corporation had no idea what Tower was up to and promised to pay for the damage done to her business and that he would rework their plans so the skyscraper would not impede on her business.

After everyone left, Lynda stood looking forlornly upon her property. Talking aloud, she thanked whoever had helped her, and Splinter emerged from the shadows to say, "You are welcome." The Sensei and his students had returned to make sure that Lynda was alright. Lynda recognized Splinter's voice as that of Hamato Yoshi's. As she reached out to him, Splinter shied away, stating that he had changed greatly and she would not find it pleasant to see him. Lynda replied that looks didn't matter, it was the soul that counted. She removed Splinter's hat and kissed him on the forehead. The Sensei introduced his old friend to the Turtles, and as a reward for their bravery, Lynda offered each Turtle a choice of one weapon from her store. Unfortunately, the Turtles all wanted her boomerang - and she only had one.

Back in the present, Splinter explains that eventually the Turtles were able to decide upon the weapons that they each now specialize in. As the pair walks in the sewer, they come to a familiar sewer grate. Splinter points to April and she peers through the bars - seeing that Ling's Academy is now the successful first floor business of a sparkling new skyscraper in the revitalized neighborhood.

REVIEW

So we didn’t exactly saw how the turtles got their weapons, which was the title of the story. But a funny story of how they almost did.

This story was split in two and reprints from specials were added in each issue. The reason being that Murphy and Allan got “fired” from the book for being too dark. Which, to be honest, is completely true for an Archie comic. But still lighter than Marvel and Image at the time.

The Forever War was supposed to be printed instead, but that never happened. The title was cancelled after this story and only a mini-series was printed afterwards (The Year of the Turtle). I will explain a bit more about “The Forever War” in another post.

As for the story, it’s fun and light, and the art is cute. It is not as good as the story where the Turtles got their colors.

I give this story a score of 7.

#archie comics #brian thomas #comics #review #1995 #modern age #tmnt #teenage mutant ninja turtles #teenage mutant ninja turtles adventures

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dweemeister · 5 years

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Little Caesar (1931)

For a brief window in the early 1930s, Hollywood studios churned out a small flurry of gangster films that would define the genre into the present day. Among those influential progenitors was Mervyn LeRoy’s Little Caesar, released by Warner Bros. With Little Caesar, Warner Bros. was about to assume an identity of being the “dark” studio – greenlighting socially conscious films replete with human depravity and cynicism towards authority figures or, you know, gangster films where the police are given no nobility. Little Caesar, based on W.R. Burnett’s novel of the same name and adapted by Francis Edward Faragoh, Robert Lord, and future 20th Century Fox studio head Darryl F. Zanuck, is best remembered today as the film that made Edward G. Robinson a Hollywood superstar. Robinson and Little Caesar, as a film, resembled nothing moviegoers had seen before and demand for these movies – to the horror of state and local censors and special-interest morality groups – skyrocketed.

Audiences, in the opening throes of the Depression, admired these gangsters for their craftiness in assuaging their living conditions in dire economic times while hoping for their demise. Gangster films were an expression of wrath – bottled up within Western audiences due to the obvious costs of such behavior, but fully unleashed within the confines of fiction. That wrath could be consuming for characters in these films, and was often directed at the police, politicians (at any level of government), and other crime bosses with the gall to impose their own rules on a main character. By the end of the decade, this appealing aura would be reversed by the Hays Code – a set of guidelines by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) created in 1930, not fully enforced until 1934, and replaced with the MPAA ratings system in the United States in 1968 – by turning gangsters into unflattering personalities or shifting the narrative to the police attempting to capture the criminals.

Caesar Enrico “Rico” Bandello (Robinson) starts out as a minor criminal in the lower Midwest, along with friend Joe Massara (Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.). Discontent with their fortunes, they travel to Chicago – Rico joins Sam Vettori’s (Stanley Fields) gang while Joe pursues a long-held dream of being a dancer. Rico wants to help Joe rise through the gang’s hierarchy, but Joe declines when he learns the next heist is at the Bronze Peacock – the dinner-and-a-show establishment where he works. The friends go their separate ways, with Joe heeding his dance partner Olga’s (Glenda Farrell) words to leave the gangster lifestyle. At the Bronze Peacock, Rico – against the orders of “Big Boy” (Sidney Blackmer) – hails the Chicago police commissioner with a fatal gunshot. Open gang war has broken out in Chicago’s Northside, Rico believes Joe knows too much about what he has done, and friendships and fates will be determined in the film’s closing acts.

In supporting roles are William Collier, Jr.; Ralph Ince; Thomas E. Jackson as a police sergeant; Maurice Black as a rival boss; and George E. Stone as one of Rico’s henchpersons.

For modern audiences, one of the most glaring impediments to investing oneself into Little Caesar is the clunky acting from everyone who is not Edward G. Robinson (Fairbanks, Jr. feels like he is simply reading lines too often; Farrell is in her first credited feature film and will grow into her reputation as the wisecracking blonde in later comedies and musicals). The dialogue is delivered in stilted fashion, with theatrical voices being used in every scene (this is a legacy of the silent era, as actors and filmmakers were still trying to adapt themselves to synchronized sound – if Little Caesar was a silent film, I would be calling the acting anything but “clunky”). Despite this, the friendship between Rico and Joe feels like it existed even before the first minute of the film begins.

As a pre-Code film, Rico and Joe’s friendship also contains potential homoerotic subtext – Rico is completely dismissive of women as objects of sexual attraction (opens the possibility of other subtexts), he criticizes Joe’s attraction to Olga, almost always keeps his hands on his gun (concealed or otherwise) when rival men are around, the two are complete opposites but want the other to reform their ways, and Joe is the only person in the film that Rico can share his private ideas and life with. This subtext was overwhelming to ‘30s audiences, forcing W.R. Burnett (the author of the novel) to write a lambasting letter to the producers about the “conversion” of his originally and explicitly heterosexual title character. No matter Burnett’s complaints, the fact that the screenwriting team of Faragoh, Lord, and Zanuck packages this convincing friendship (or whatever it is) within a seventy-nine-minute runtime is an impressive achievement. It is also impossible without the performances of Robinson and, to a lesser extent, the junior Douglas Fairbanks.

Robinson, along with James Cagney, defined gangster films of the 1930s. Their relatively short stature – Robinson was 5′7″, Cagney 5′5″ – does not suggest a domineering physical presence on paper. But as Rico, Robinson is a fearsome menace constantly compensating for something. Rico cares little – but understands completely – about the ramifications of violence on society, friends, and families. Unlike many gangsters that would follow him, he is not seen under the influence of harder drugs or alcohol – he commits all his schemes and homicides sober. He does not have the athletic or imposing build of later gangsters, nor the cadence to force someone holding up their hands before their lights are turned off to piss their pants. Without any of this, Rico bathes himself in violence, committed to never being cuffed by the cops while still breathing (a promise to himself and the police that he exclaims several times, beaming with pleasure). His intelligence has justified killings in the name of gang loyalty and the familial structure it provides. His instincts allow him to evade capture and death from the hands of the police and rival hoodlums for a time, becoming the most feared – and, in a perverse way, admired – gangster of the Windy City.

Little Caesar does not have the scope of a gangster film directed by Francis Ford Coppola (The Godfather trilogy) or a Martin Scorsese (1990′s GoodFellas, 2006′s The Departed). Many of the clichés found in the genre have not been codified yet but appear in this film: the small-time ruffian who shoots his way to the top, the friend of said ruffian attempting to escape a life of crime before meeting an end that involves the gallows or gunfire, the girlfriend who wants their man to stop working with the gang, the intransigent crime boss too set in their ways to prevent their usurpation, the rival crime bosses who instantly recognize the upstart as a destabilizing force in the balance of gang power, the police figures gunned down to kickstart what will lead to the film’s climax. All those aspects appear in Little Caesar – omitting, for the purposes of this review and in respect for those who have not seen the film, clichés in gangster movie finales. The gangster picture, in its concentration on violent masculinity, is one of the least versatile genres innovated by Hollywood. The blame for that dearth of narrative versatility should not be assigned to films that appeared before those tropes became tropes.

With film noir the eventual successor to the early 1930s gangster films, Little Caesar does not have the chiaroscuro lighting that would define film noir. Nevertheless, some of the imagery from cinematographer Tony Gaudio (1936′s Anthony Adverse, 1938′s The Adventures of Robin Hood) breathes grittiness and even a hint of tragedy to this set-bound production when the action is not set indoors. Otherwise, Little Caesar is not imaginatively shot for long stretches. With only one chilling exception, the lack of close-ups almost prevents Robinson, as Rico, from establishing invisible bounds that his subordinates dare not cross.

Though this review, among most all others one could find on Little Caesar, has waxed about Edward G. Robinson’s violent-with-a-smile performance, Robinson himself was squeamish to the sound of gunshots. In the rushes, LeRoy and editor Ray Curtiss noticed, “Every time he squeezed the trigger, he would screw up his eyes. Take after take, he would do the same thing.” To resolve this, Robinson’s eyelids – in any scenes that involved Rico firing his guns – would be taped. Robinson, by all accounts, was anything but Caesar Enrico Bandello or any other of the gangsters he would portray on-screen. The immigrant son of a Romanian Jewish family, Emanuel Goldenberg was a fine arts lover who spoke to and of others with gentleness. He was more of a Christopher Cross from Scarlet Street (1945) or, maybe, a Martinius Jacobson from Our Vines Have Tender Grapes (1945).

Robinson would take on gangster roles – comedies and dramas – until Never a Dull Moment (1968). Somewhat typecast as the tough gangster in the coming decades, few other Robinson performances were as frightening as this. For almost that performance alone, Little Caesar is one of the most important and accomplished films of the early 1930s. It is not the first gangster film ever made, but the gangster film playbook that it wrote – alongside the other great gangster pictures shortly to follow it – has undergone few sweeping revisions since its release.

My rating: 9/10

^ Based on my personal imdb rating. My interpretation of that ratings system can be found here.

#Little Caesar #Mervyn LeRoy #Edward G. Robinson #Douglas Fairbanks Jr.#Glenda Farrell #William Collier Jr.#Sidney Blackmer #Ralph Ince #Thomas E. Jackson #Stanley Fields #Maurice Black #George E. Stone #Francis Edward Faragoh #Robert Lord #Darryl F. Zanuck #Hal B. Wallis #TCM #My Movie Odyssey

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uacboo · 7 years

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Early on in his career, Guy Ritchie took rough-and-tumble streetwise hoodlums and elevated them to hero status. Now, he does the opposite, taking high-class literary heroes — first Sherlock Holmes and now King Arthur — and plunging them down to gutter level. The idea, one supposes, is to make these lofty cultural icons into relatable underdogs, but the effect is akin to slander. If there ever had been a real Sherlock or Arthur, they would surely be horrified to see themselves depicted as such commonplace thugs.

In Ritchie’s over-the-top, rock-and-roll “King Arthur: Legend of the Sword,” the less you know about the legend in question, the better. The brash British director has thrown out nearly all preexisting Athurian notions and come up with a smoking new riff on the famous sword-in-the-stone tale that makes “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” look like a work of rigorous historical scholarship by comparison.

It’s epic, in the sense that it features elaborate CG backdrops swarming with thousands of virtual extras, and it’s extravagant, to the extent that Warner Bros. flushed away millions of dollars to produce this gaudy eyesore. But ultimately, “King Arthur” is just a loud, obnoxious parade of flashy set pieces, as one visually busy, belligerent action scene after another marches by, each making less sense than the last, but all intended to overwhelm. That technique has served Richie well before — a sort of slick back-alley magic by which he distracts our attention in one direction, only to pull off something wondrous and surprising in the other, much to the audience’s collective amazement. But in this case, the approach largely backfires, as attempts to dazzle with giant elephants, a scenery-chewing Jude Law, and an occasionally shirtless stud king (played by well-cast, but otherwise squandered “The Lost City of Z” star Charlie Hunnam) leaves us more confused than awestruck.

Lumped together with a small militia of rebel soldiers, some random Vikings and a mighty French sorceress (Astrid Bergès-Frisbey, sexier than Merlin, yet still powerful enough to summon birds and snakes to do her bidding), these elements constitute an entirely new take on the man who wielded Excalibur — one that isn’t remotely coherent, mind you, but intends to serve as a revisionist origin story all the same. Ritchie wants to set up a new King Arthur legend that, were it to catch on, might actually generate a sequel or two down the road (and who’s to say it won’t, when last year’s comparably ill-conceived “The Legend of Tarzan” managed to avert disaster with its still-disappointing $357 million worldwide haul?). And yet, there seems to be no small amount of confusion about the word “legend” at Warner Bros. these days, as their approach to such icons seems to be, “You think you know [insert King Arthur-scale hero here]? Well, think again!”

Ritchie and co-writers Lionel Wigram and Joby Harold (who initially sold the studio on an expansive, multi-film series) seem to have confused King Arthur with Robin Hood, re-imagining England’s chivalrous first knight as some sort of rabble-rousing proto-gangster, backed by a crew of cutthroat forest dwellers (archers, mostly) eager to stand up to the despot king Vortigern (Law), who killed Arthur’s father (Eric Bana) and seized the throne. The script also boasts a bizarre fantasy dimension, as well as peculiar aspects of the Christ story, as the challenge to pull the sword from the stone is treated less like a contest than some sort of deadly trial, forced upon every Brit of a certain age, where the winner — he who can pry Excalibur from its rocky scabbard — will be swiftly executed (much as insecure King Herod massacred countless innocents to thwart the prophecy that a newborn Jew would rise to take his throne).

After playing the straight man to Robert Downey Jr.’s borderline-unhinged Sherlock Holmes in two Ritchie-directed blockbusters, Law seems to relish getting to let loose here, and his villainous Vortigern has all the gristle of a high-camp performance. But Ritchie’s overwrought sense of flamboyance isn’t nearly queer enough to achieve “so bad it’s good” self-parody. Rather, he comes across as an aging rebel worried about being judged un-hip, clearly over-compensating in order to remain one step ahead of fellow stylists Zack Snyder (“300”), Tarsem Singh (“Mirror Mirror”), and Alex Proyas (“Gods of Egypt”) — all of whose genuinely outrageous, inadvertently awful work appears to be a source of inspiration here.

Collectively, these directors have reached a point where their films run the risk of collapsing under the weight of their own production design, especially since Hollywood no longer makes stars big enough to compete with the environments that surround them. (Have you noticed: Even Trump looks tiny when photographed at Mar Lago?)

At least Hunnam has the potential to be the next Brad Pitt, having begun his career in a series of demanding acting roles — including a long run on FX’s “Sons of Anarchy” — before making the transition to blockbuster screen idol. He’s got presence, along with a sense of vulnerability that’s essential to the Arthur role, in which he plays a true-blood prince, orphaned by his uncle, raised in a brothel, educated on the streets, and thrust into the unlikely position of saving the kingdom.

But Hunnam’s competing with so much ridiculous window-dressing here. It’s as if Ritchie, who began his career with the rowdy follow-that-shotgun caper “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels,” has once again tried to build an entire movie around the whereabouts of a rare weapon, when the legend of the sword isn’t nearly as interesting as that of the man who wields it.

Film Review: ‘King Arthur: Legend of the Sword’ Reviewed at Warner Bros. Studios, Los Angeles, May 8, 2017. MPAA Rating: PG-13. Running time: 126 MIN. Production A Warner Bros. Pictures release and presentation, in association with Village Roadshow Pictures, Ratpac-Dune Entertainment, of a Weed Road/Safehouse Pictures, Ritchie/Wigram production. Producers: Akiva Goldsman, Joby Harold, Tory Tunnell, Steve Clark-Hall, Guy Ritchie, Lionel Wigram. Executive producers: David Dobkin, Bruce Berman, Steve Mnuchin. Crew Director: Guy Ritchie. Screenplay: Joby Harold, Ritchie & Lionel Wigram; story: David Dobkin, Harold. Camera (color, widescreen): John Mathieson. Editor: James Herbert. Music: Daniel Pemberton. With Charlie Hunnam, Astrid Bergès-Frisbey, Jude Law, Djimon Hounsou, Eric Bana, Aidan Gillen, Freddie Fox, Craig McGinlay, Tom Wu, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Neil Maskell, Annabelle Wallis.

#guy ritchie #charlie hunnam #jude law #King Arthur: Legend of the Sword #Eric Bana #Astrid Bergès-Frisbey #excalibur

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thelonelybrilliance · 7 years

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OUAT--Tougher Than The REst

I almost didn't watch this, guys. But my OTP is getting married next episode, and yeah...here I am. Catching up.

Let the suffering begin. Suffering, you ask? This was once one of my very favorite shows. I wrote loads of fanfic for this show. I CARED DEEPLY AND PROFOUNDLY ABOUT THESE CHARACTERS.

Ok. *deep breath* McKenna Grace. I'd rather be watching her with Chris Evans. Is this young August, coming back to stir up crap after he left? I mean, he's cute, but also, this show struggles with dialogue. Like, would some local hoodlum at a literal trashcan fire be talking about fairytales?? OH THAT IS HOW SHE PICKED HER LAST NAME. See, there's the kind of detail I enjoy. Now. BACK TO THE SUFFERING WITH THE FOLLY OF THE TIME TRAVEL SHENANIGANS BECAUSE ROBIN HOOD IS ALIVE. Henry is riding a horse, which I appreciate. He's grown a lot. I could do without the Emma and Regina dramatics, because I know that I can't have Emma meeting Navy!Killian AS I HAD HOPED. This review is salty. But I have missed Emma Swan and her beautiful hair. "How long till we get home," Regina? That's kind of a you problem. KILLIAANNNNNNNN MY LOVEEEEEEE With Charming. Both wearing leather jackets. I appreCIATE. Mangst. Aww, Killian put a hand on his shoulder! I DID MISS THEM. And then we come back to FREAKING JACKASS RUMPLE THE ABUSIVE TWERP and Gideon returning all *evil* so that Belle can what, have Stockholm Syndrome again? Gideon is a) cute and b) I hope he turns out good and screws over his father. Rumple, I don't even want to deal w/you rn. DON'T TOUCH BELLE. (I just watched Big Little Lies so I am ABOUT DONE with abusive husbands). Wait, is Emma together with August in this world?? That was a very intimate hug. Regina wrote that note and disappeared in two seconds? Was there magic involved? Why does Regina get to rewrite history so much...an fyi that I think Lana plays Regina wonderfully and sympathetically, but the character choices made by A & E are so wrong for her. IS THAT ALARIC SALTZMANN PLAYING THE SHERIFF? It kind of looks like him lol. August is SO SMUG. "what exactly does a savior do?" um...save people?

AHAHA OLD KILLIAN (Killian is maybe the only thing that still brings me unbridled joy on this show)

I can't believe that this show took my love for the character of Rumple away. I wish they'd let him be a villain, instead of pretending that he's a tortured hero. Oh, great, he's a menacing father too. #shocker #sarcasm. I want to like Gideon, though. Is this the character I've been waiting for? I just wish this show would let him and Belle have a happy ending away from the Beast.

"I really need to get home and get someone off the rum--and the dessert." LOL Emma, looking out for her man's physique.

August, pouting is NoT going to help this situation?

I mean, look, I appreciate Regina trying to help Robin here but I am always concerned about the retroactive rewriting of people's histories to take away the consequences of their choices and who they are. But again, we will see.

Who knew I would enjoy DarkOne!Rumple more than real!Rumple?

I have a hard time having *feels* about the double sleeping curse because I thought that it was entered so ridiculously and unnecessarily. Again, #salt.

Killian on a phone. <3

BELLE PLEASE STOP TRUSTING RUMPLE TO DO ANYTHING EVER.

When has pounding on a locked door ever done anything?

I did miss Robin Hood, though. And I missed the better parts of their relationship and maybe this development can make Outlaw Queen shippable for me again? Regina's face when she told him he's dead? I FELT IT Y'ALL. (He didn't have a good life, though, Regina. Um, remember the whole Zelena thing.)

Is there a conveniently loose nail in EVERY prison cell?

ARE YOU TELLING ME AUGUST NEVER OPENED THE BOX MARKED "EMMA" TO SEE IF SOMETHING IN THERE WAS HELPFUL??

Oh yes, that *was* Young August. August is unpredictable and kind of weird...like...he was all pissy about the tree a minute ago and now he's gleeful?

I bet that wardrobe took a lot to do, witha blunt chisel and all.

I'm glad Robin is coming back, but doesn't the wardrobe only fit too? Although then its dust worked as a portal for like, four people, so, you know.

Oh wait. He didn't come. Because he's a dream? That's sad. But then again, the show ain't over--yup, there he is! Sidenote that I like Regina's shorter bob, as well. It suits her.

Oh dear...EMMAAAAA EMMAAAA NO I DON'T WANT YOU TO DIE (Of course she doesn't die) HUG EVERYONE WHO DESERVES IT

Hahaha good luck getting Hook off the rum.

I totally forgot that August was still here/alive/etc.

I wish Belle had a better life. Without Rumple and his blame-everyone-else-except-me ways. "It's true" coming from Rumple...it's like...I can't. You respected Baelfire? No, you copped out on him, and then looked for him for centuries even though you wouldn't give up your wishes for power.

That poor clock.

#ouat #sassy recaps #my recaps #anti-rumple #ouat negativity #and positivity #but just be warned

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rec-review8890 · 2 years

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Hood River Rat - Book Review

Title: Hood River Rat

Creator: K Webster

Online Rating: 4.13/5

Personal Rating: 5/5

Warning(s): Sexual content, M/M, Enemies-to-Lovers, Attempt at Rape, (Mild) Discrimination towards the LGBTQ+ community, Violence, Physical abuse, Bullying, and Figuring out sexuality.

Standalone, or Series: Series - 4 Books - Completed, but I heard there is going to be side character books.

Pages: 295

Summary: Hood River was supposed to be the change I needed.A fresh start. An escape from my painful past. Better in every way. I’m a popular guy. Approachable. I make friends easily. Cool car. Nice clothes. Good attitude. Everything will be fine. School is school. I’ll keep my head down until graduation and try not to stick out. College will be here before I know it. Yet my first day proves to be anything but easy. The Hood River Hoodlums—our school’s most notorious group of bad boys—have put a target on my back. Their leader, Roan, hates me. He calls me Rat. To him and his friends, I’m a loser who doesn’t belong at their school. I could pretend I don’t care about their hate. If only Roan wasn’t so hot. He’s mean, cruel, and sexy as hell. My nemesis is impossible to ignore…and a secret part of me doesn’t want to. Here I thought being gay was the worst of my problems. Turns out, being gay and crushing on your enemy takes the cake. This is a full-length high school enemies-to-lovers and new adult romance with high angst, suspense, and gutting emotion. It's book one in the Hood River Hoodlum series that will have interlinking storylines. Hood River Rat can be read as a standalone and starts off a four-book planned series that gives each Hoodlum a book. This is the only MM story. The others are MF.

!Spoilers!

Review: This was an amazing enemies-to-lovers pairing. I always loved how Webster uses her characters thought processes, and this book is just a perfect example with how amazing she writes. Always perfect amount of detail. I’m feeling so much love for theses two characters especially Roan. He’s going though a lot, and is going to go through so much hard ships with his family especially his little sister Roux.

I’m already majorly loving and shipping Jordy and Roux in this book (they have their own book too).

This couple is not done growing and I loved reading their story throughout the series. 5 stars.

Negatives: The social worker part really made me upset. In total reality with social workers if there are reports or even incidents where a child under 18 is going to be in a not safe home, then the social worker would put the child in a group home or foster care especially If another relative over 18 - that's eligible to take care of the minor - is not around. Even if her mom was still alive at the time, that social worker wouldn’t of left the child stay there since it was mentioned that she has multiple witnesses to being a terrible mother. Thank you for listening to my rant!

。・°°・°°・。。・°°・°°・。。・°°・°°・。

|| Account Directory ||

#hood river rat #m/m #hood river rat review #book review #k webster #enemies to lover #the only rats we actually love #very book series

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romancereadingdiva · 4 years

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Campfire Chaos Live Now!

Campfire Chaos by K Webster is live now! My review will be posted soon, but here is all the info you need!

Blurb:

I had it all.

Popularity. Good grades. Cheerleading. Doting family and great friends.

Until the wrong boy swept into my perfect world and destroyed every part of it.

Abuse. Drugs. Humiliation.

He trampled all over my reputation and I was powerless to do anything about it.

I couldn’t break free from his controlling hold.

But the night of the accident changed everything.

Now I’m freed at last.

It comes at a cost, though. I hurt a Hoodlum.

I can’t fix him, but I can fix me.

Without the monster in my life, I grow stronger, fiercer, braver.

I’m on the right track to cleaning up the mess that is my life.

Repairing friendships.

Restoring trust with my family.

Healing from my recent, terrible past.

Everything was going to be okay.

Or so I thought.

Because I have a new problem.

Cal Hutton.

Town’s lawless, gorgeous bad boy. A Hood River Hoodlum. My new nemesis.

He wants me to pay for what I did to his best friend.

Cal thinks I’m weak and an unworthy adversary, someone he can toy with.

But I’ll never allow another man to have that power over me.

I have claws now.

I fight back.

Available Now!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/36iegfm

Amazon International: mybook.to/CampfireChaos

Apple: https://apple.co/2XuNDRH

B&N: https://bit.ly/3eIgOGp

Kobo: https://bit.ly/306rbzR

Eden Books: https://bit.ly/2U7BcJm

Add to your Goodreads TBR: https://bit.ly/2A078rI

Start the series now...

Hood River Rat (Hood River Hoodlums, #1)

Amazon: https://amzn.to/39VEowH

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/39WbMDD

Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/2yOYSuh

Amazon AUS: https://amzn.to/2UXnERG

Apple: https://apple.co/3c6MNig

Kobo: https://bit.ly/3c57tHr

Eden Books: https://bit.ly/34wurVy

B&N: https://bit.ly/2RoQfx1

Little Hoodlum (Hood River Hoodlums, #2)

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B087LPFLZN

B&N: https://bit.ly/3fEiHWd

Apple: https://apple.co/2LjC2xL

Eden Books: https://bit.ly/2WTrb2U

Kobo: https://bit.ly/2yTmcHs

0 notes

romancereadingdiva · 4 years

Text

Hood River Zero by K Webster

Zero to hero! 👑👑👑👑

What an amazing and satisfying end to a series! Penny and Terrence may seem like opposites, but they were not. Terrence was damaged inside and out from an incident that happened in book 3 (Campfire Chaos which I won’t spoil for new readers), but he was still loyal, fierce and caring. Penny was a strong, fierce, blunt, unique girl, and she had her own issues. Can they help and heal each other? Read this book that took them from zero to hero with twists that shocked me, made me emotional and find out! I definitely enjoyed and recommend this book and series!

*I received an advanced copy of this ebook for my honest review.*

Blurb:

Life was nearly stolen from me.

In the blink of an eye, everything changed.

I’m no longer the charismatic, hot playboy Hoodlum.

I’m irrevocably altered.

Damaged both inside and out.

I can’t think. I can’t function. I can’t live.

Not with all this darkness and pain dragging me into unknown depths.

Some days, I wish I never woke up.

But then life takes an unusual turn.

A sweet, sad little girl might be mine.

My dream job is gifted to me.

I have a doctor who cares.

Things are looking up.

Until her.

One mouthy, bratty, mean beautiful young thing complicates everything.

She sees the darkness inside that I’m trying desperately to hide from everyone.

Pokes. Prods. Infuriates.

This girl won’t stop until she’s touched every scar, both inside and out.

I’m not sure how I’m supposed to mentally heal and be a better man when I have the most unapologetic, unpopular mean girl shining her light into every dark crevice inside me.

Annoying. A nuisance. Not worth my time.

I’ll shake her off eventually.

She’s nothing to me.

A Hood River zero.

Try telling my heart that…

This is a full-length high school friends-to-lovers, forbidden, and new adult romance with high angst, suspense, and gutting emotion. It's book four in the Hood River Hoodlum series that all have interlinking storylines. Hood River Zero shouldn't be read as a standalone and is the final book in the four-book series that gives each Hoodlum a story. The first book in the series is the only MM story. The others, including this one, are MF. The Hood River Hoodlums is now a complete series!

Available Now!

Amazon: https://kwebsterbooks.com/HoodRiverZero1

Amazon International: https://mybook.to/HoodRiverZero

B&N: https://kwebsterbooks.com/HoodRiverZeroBN

Apple: https://kwebsterbooks.com/HoodRiverZeroApple

Kobo: https://kwebsterbooks.com/HoodRiverZeroKOBO

Eden Books: https://kwebsterbooks.com/HoodRiverZeroEB

Goodreads: https://kwebsterbooks.com/HoodRiverZeroGR

BookBub: https://kwebsterbooks.com/HoodRiverZeroBB

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romancereadingdiva · 4 years

Text

Hood River Zero Live Now!

Hood River Zero by K Webster is live now! My review will be posted soon, but here is the info you need now!

Blurb:

From USA Today bestselling author K Webster comes a forbidden, friends to lovers romance called Hood River Zero!

Life was nearly stolen from me.

In the blink of an eye, everything changed.

I’m no longer the charismatic, hot playboy Hoodlum.

I’m irrevocably altered.

Damaged both inside and out.

I can’t think. I can’t function. I can’t live.

Not with all this darkness and pain dragging me into unknown depths.

Some days, I wish I never woke up.

But then life takes an unusual turn.

A sweet, sad little girl might be mine.

My dream job is gifted to me.

I have a doctor who cares.

Things are looking up.

Until her.

One mouthy, bratty, mean beautiful young thing complicates everything.

She sees the darkness inside that I’m trying desperately to hide from everyone.

Pokes. Prods. Infuriates.

This girl won’t stop until she’s touched every scar, both inside and out.

I’m not sure how I’m supposed to mentally heal and be a better man when I have the most unapologetic, unpopular mean girl shining her light into every dark crevice inside me.

Annoying. A nuisance. Not worth my time.

I’ll shake her off eventually.

She’s nothing to me.

A Hood River zero.

Try telling my heart that…

Available Now!

Amazon: https://kwebsterbooks.com/HoodRiverZero1

Amazon International: https://mybook.to/HoodRiverZero

B&N: https://kwebsterbooks.com/HoodRiverZeroBN

Apple: https://kwebsterbooks.com/HoodRiverZeroApple

Kobo: https://kwebsterbooks.com/HoodRiverZeroKOBO

Eden Books: https://kwebsterbooks.com/HoodRiverZeroEB

Add to your Goodreads TBR: https://kwebsterbooks.com/HoodRiverZeroGR

Start the series now...

Hood River Rat (Hood River Hoodlums, #1)

Amazon: https://amzn.to/39VEowH

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/39WbMDD

Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/2yOYSuh

Amazon AUS: https://amzn.to/2UXnERG

Apple: https://apple.co/3c6MNig

Kobo: https://bit.ly/3c57tHr

Eden Books: https://bit.ly/34wurVy

B&N: https://bit.ly/2RoQfx1

Little Hoodlum (Hood River Hoodlums, #2)

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B087LPFLZN

B&N: https://bit.ly/3fEiHWd

Apple: https://apple.co/2LjC2xL

Eden Books: https://bit.ly/2WTrb2U

Kobo: https://bit.ly/2yTmcHs

Campfire Chaos (Hood River Hoodlums, #3)

Amazon: https://amzn.to/36iegfm

Amazon International: https://mybook.to/CampfireChaos

Apple: https://apple.co/2XuNDRH

B&N: https://bit.ly/3eIgOGp

Kobo: https://bit.ly/306rbzR

Eden Books: https://bit.ly/2U7BcJm

0 notes

romancereadingdiva · 4 years

Text

Little Hoodlum by K Webster

This book made me happy! 👑👑👑👑

This was a brother’s best friend, slight age-gap romance that I thoroughly loved and enjoyed! Jordy was best friends with Roux’s older brother Roan. They have always had a connection, but once he gets out of jail (for protecting Roan and Roux because of events that happened in book 1, Hood River Rat) their connection turned into chemistry. Their push/pull was intense, and I was here for it! I loved that Jordy has always been and will always be loyal and protective of Roux. Even though her world was crumbling, Roux was a brave, loyal, trustworthy, strong woman that I rooted for. Once the action heated up, the odds were not in Jordy and Roux’s favor, but I rooted for them so hard. By the end of this book, these hoodlums left me happy with a smile on my face! I definitely recommend this book that I read in one sitting, and I can’t wait to read the next couple in book three!

*I received an advanced copy of this ebook for my honest review.*

Blurb:

From USA Today bestselling author K Webster comes a forbidden best friend's little sister romance called Little Hoodlum!

There are few people in this world I thought I could count on.

My brother. My two best friends. And him.

Jordy Martinez.

Problem is, Jordy thought protecting me was his sole mission in life.

He gave up everything for me and my brother, including his freedom.

Losing him left me hollow and empty.

But after three long years, I’ve learned to live without him.

Until I get mixed up with a guy who has dangerous connections in Hood River and everything begins to crash down around me just in time for my senior year of high school.

Possessive boyfriend with a penchant for violence.

Best friend turned enemy.

Fights with my big brother.

Everything’s a mess and I’m not sure there’s any fixing it.

I might just need that bully ex-convict who’ll do anything—again—to keep me safe.

All I want is peace, happiness, and love.

And I won’t go down without a fight in order to get it.

I’m a Hoodlum after all.

They call me Little Hoodlum, but I’m not so little anymore...

This is a full-length high school friends-to-lovers, forbidden, and new adult romance with high angst, suspense, and gutting emotion. It's book two in the Hood River Hoodlum series that will have interlinking storylines. Little Hoodlum shouldn't be read as a standalone and is the continuation of a four-book planned series that gives each Hoodlum a book. The first book in the series is the only MM story. The others, including this one, are MF.

Available now!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2y3upbU

B&N: https://bit.ly/3fEiHWd

Apple: https://apple.co/2LjC2xL

Eden Books: https://bit.ly/2WTrb2U

Kobo: https://bit.ly/2yTmcHs

Add to your Goodreads TBR: https://bit.ly/3c1uJX6

0 notes

romancereadingdiva · 4 years

Text

Little Hoodlum Live Now!

Little Hoodlum by K Webster is live now! My review will be posted soon, but here is the info you need!

Blurb:

From USA Today bestselling author K Webster comes a forbidden best friend's little sister romance called Little Hoodlum!

There are few people in this world I thought I could count on.

My brother. My two best friends. And him.

Jordy Martinez.

Problem is, Jordy thought protecting me was his sole mission in life.

He gave up everything for me and my brother, including his freedom.

Losing him left me hollow and empty.

But after three long years, I’ve learned to live without him.

Until I get mixed up with a guy who has dangerous connections in Hood River and everything begins to crash down around me just in time for my senior year of high school.

Possessive boyfriend with a penchant for violence.

Best friend turned enemy.

Fights with my big brother.

Everything’s a mess and I’m not sure there’s any fixing it.

I might just need that bully ex-convict who’ll do anything—again—to keep me safe.

All I want is peace, happiness, and love.

And I won’t go down without a fight in order to get it.

I’m a Hoodlum after all.

They call me Little Hoodlum, but I’m not so little anymore...

Available now!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2y3upbU

B&N: https://bit.ly/3fEiHWd

Apple: https://apple.co/2LjC2xL

Eden Books: https://bit.ly/2WTrb2U

Kobo: https://bit.ly/2yTmcHs

Add to your Goodreads TBR: https://bit.ly/3c1uJX6

0 notes

romancereadingdiva · 4 years

Text

Hood River Rat by K Webster

This story snatched my heart! 👑👑👑👑

This was my first time reading M/M, and I am so happy I did! I was hesitant to read M/M for one reason: I always pictured myself as the heroine (you can call it weird or selfish, I don’t care!), so I wasn’t sure if I would emotionally connect with the story if I could not picture that. But when I read the Hood River Rat sample in the Bully Me 2020 anthology, I knew I could. I deeply cared about what happened to Roan and Hollis individually, I deeply cared about their relationship and I rooted for them so much. They both went through a lot which hurt my heart. Roan thought he hated Hollis when he first laid eyes on him, but that turned into fascination and addiction later. Hollis knew he shouldn’t be attracted to him, but they felt connected in more than a physical way. They wrecked each other’s lives in the best way, and they snatched my heart along with each other’s! I finished this book one sitting, because I was riveted to the pages of Hollis and Roan’s story! I loved and recommend this story, and I am excited about the next couple/book in the series!

*I received an advanced copy of this ebook for my honest review.*

Blurb:

Hood River was supposed to be the change I needed. A fresh start. An escape from my painful past. Better in every way. I’m a popular guy. Approachable. I make friends easily. Cool car. Nice clothes. Good attitude. Everything will be fine. School is school. I’ll keep my head down until graduation and try not to stick out. College will be here before I know it. Yet my first day proves to be anything but easy. The Hood River Hoodlums—our school’s most notorious group of bad boys—have put a target on my back. Their leader, Roan, hates me. He calls me Rat. To him and his friends, I’m a loser who doesn’t belong at their school. I could pretend I don’t care about their hate. If only Roan wasn’t so hot. He’s mean, cruel, and sexy as hell. My nemesis is impossible to ignore…and a secret part of me doesn’t want to. Here I thought being gay was the worst of my problems. Turns out, being gay and crushing on your enemy takes the cake. This is a full-length high school bully/enemies-to-lovers and new adult romance with high angst, suspense, and gutting emotion. It's book one in the Hood River Hoodlum series that will have interlinking storylines. Hood River Rat can be read as a standalone and starts off a four-book planned series that gives each Hoodlum a book. This is the only MM story. The others are MF.

Available Now!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/39VEowH

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/39WbMDD

Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/2yOYSuh

Amazon AUS: https://amzn.to/2UXnERG

Apple Books: https://apple.co/3c6MNig

Kobo: https://bit.ly/3c57tHr

Eden Books: https://bit.ly/34wurVy

B&N: https://bit.ly/2RoQfx1

Add to your Goodreads TBR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53147372-hood-river-rat

0 notes