Wild Hearts: Making the Rules

Making the Rules is the second standalone book in the Wild Hearts boxed set by Doranna Durgin. I received a copy of this book as part of LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program in exchange for an unbiased review. Brief plot spoilers may follow.

Summary:

Hunter Agency operatives Kimmer and Rio, codenames Chimera and Phoenix, get their first official case together courtesy of a wealthy older woman who needs their help protecting an antique steeped in scandal and danger. Kimmer, who has a skewered view of family and what she can provide for it, struggles to trust Rio as her partner on the job despite him being her lover off the clock. Rio has his own doubts about their success working together, and as the danger factor continually rises, so does the importance for these two to pull it together before its too late. Questionable allies and a host of enemies meet them on this case, and as they deal with the issues in their partnership, they also find themselves framed for a crime neither of them committed. The person pulling all the strings in this case is someone from Kimmer's past, someone hell-bent on making Kimmer pay for not allowing them to finish the job they'd started.


My thoughts:

Making the Rules was a fun read, but I have a few more complaints with it than I did Hidden Steel. First things first, Kimmer is a badass and I loved it. LOL I could see immediately that she had issues, especially with vulnerability and learning to be dependent on Rio. The problem was that she was so strong by herself, so capable and so self-sufficient that it almost made Rio look like a backburner character. This fact was emphasized by how much of Kimmer's work she had to do alone because Rio was somehow incapacitated. I could see the doubt that both of them had with working together, and I think it was that doubt, not an actual inability to work together, that caused problems. The doubt was the seed, and events in the book that played on that added to it. I actually think they have potential to work flawlessly together and if there are more books to come with Chimera and Phoenix back out in the field, I’d like to see that. I understood Kimmer's hang-ups about family and whatnot, but for someone who usually functions on logic and reason, I wondered for a lot of the book if she realized that part of her problem was not seeing that she had an opportunity to provide something to others that she wasn't given. With that being said, I liked that instead of wanting to continue on future assignments alone, she made peace with the knowledge that she wanted to do them with Rio. Even though I think she would have eventually done a great job with her sisters, I think the solution we ended up with was great for everyone. I liked the various twists in this story; I could figure out some of the people who were probably going to end up being a problem later in the book, but some of the others fell into a gray area, and I enjoyed that. The intentions of the ‘gray area’ characters weren't immediately revealed to the reader and being able to go through that process with Kimmer and Rio, feeling everything they were feeling, until they figured everything out added on to the excitement.

One of my main complaints with Making the Rules was that I’m surprised poor Rio wasn't dead by the end of the book; he took the majority of the hits, was attacked the most by far, while Kimmer usually didn't take half as much damage. Hell, the reader’s introduction to the man is him getting shot, and he continues to accumulate a number of potentially fatal battle wounds as the story progresses. Not saying I wanted to see Kimmer as banged up, but it would have been nice to see Rio at his full potential. The various injuries he accumulated then having Kimmer need to rescue him made him look a bit weak and from what I understood about his character, weak he definitely was not. Of course, having to do all of that and wing it—alone, for the most part—eventually helped Kimmer to come to the realization that she needed Rio around on and off the job, which was an important development, so I can see where these plot twists had their purpose. I had read in the beginning that the enemy was someone from Kimmer's past, but with all the action that quickly followed, I’d forgotten all about it until the last few chapters, when they finally revealed themselves. I was just trying to figure out the next person in the chain was, who was pulling that person’s strings. It was intricate in a way, with every individual having their reasons for being involved, whether those reasons were understandable ones or not. This was another layered story, with background stories that contributed to the overall plot without diminishing it. At the end of the book I felt like the main characters had made some important revelations about themselves and this set a pretty solid foundation for future chapters. 


Do I recommend this book?

Much like I mentioned with Hidden Steel, if you like a story with a strong heroine not given to hysterics, some great action scenes and the ability to live in the moment with the characters, then Making the Rules may be a book for you. I do not recommend the book, though, if you're looking for a romance-heavy plot. Although it is well-known and often mentioned throughout the book that Kimmer and Rio are lovers and one of the plot points is working together as both lovers and partners, there isn't a lot of steam in this book either. Considering the setting, however, the lack of romance is understandable. I also do not recommend the book if you like alpha males who take the lead. Rio is just as much an important part of the plot as Kimmer, but due to circumstance it is Kimmer who ends up having to take the lead in some of the situations. In a general sense though, I definitely recommend this book. 



Helpful links:

If you'd like to download Making the Rules as a standalone book, here is where you can download it:

Amazon ($3.99) | NOOK ($3.99) | Google Play Books ($3.99) | Smashwords ($3.99) | iTunes (price needs to be converted into USD)


And if you'd like to download Wild Hearts as a box set (which I recommend since its cheaper):

Amazon ($5.99) | NOOK ($5.99) | Smashwords ($2.99) | iTunes ($2.99)


Doranna Durgin can be reached here:

Website | Facebook | Twitter



If you'd like to read my thoughts on both books rather than two separate reviews, you can check out my LibraryThing review here. I don't want to hog the site up with book reviews which is why I don't post too many of them, but all of the Early Reviewers books that I read will be given a full post here. Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed these reviews!

Read More »

Wild Hearts: Hidden Steel

Hi all! I'm back with another book review, but this one is a little different from the other book reviews I have posted. This is actually part of a 2-story boxed set, but I separated them into two reviews so that it wouldn't run too long. The collective book is called Wild Hearts by Doranna Durgin, and it combines the standalone stories of Hidden Steel and Making the Rules for re-release. I received a copy of this book as part of LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program in exchange for an unbiased review. I've tried to refrain from giving away too much of the plot excluding the summaries but just in case, brief plot spoilers may follow. 

Summary:

In the first story, Hidden Steel, CIA agent "Mickey" awakens in a place she does not recognize, with no memory of anything, including her name. She adapts the name "Mickey Finn" and escapes, finding refuge in a nearby gym, run by Steve Spaneas. Before Steve realizes it, he is thrown headfirst into the craziness that is Mickey's life and becomes her only ally. As Mickey struggles to figure out what happened to her, she also becomes increasingly aware through flashes of memories that someone is in need of her protection. Add in some local thugs, other operatives who do not have her (or her client's) best interests at heart, little to no memory, and a light tease of romance with Steve, and this is the current state of affairs in Mickey's life. This is an action-packed page turner, where the reader is introduced to a colorful cast of background characters as well as a hero and heroine who don't fit into the traditional action/romance molds. 

My thoughts:

I enjoyed Hidden Steel. I appreciated Mickey’s strength in the face of the blank canvas that was her life and not dissolving into hysterics. Even though for her it was a fresh start and she felt as though she’d been dropped into something she had no idea about, life had continued to function and she had to catch up quickly. I loved that the CIA training she’d received had been so ingrained into her it became part of her base personality, something immovable about her that came as naturally as breathing. And if even with all of that training she still nearly got herself killed, I hate the odds for someone who was just one step, one heartbeat, slower than Mickey being placed in the same situation. The author mentioned at the beginning that when Mickey began to trust herself the rest of the story fell into place, and gradually throughout the book, the reader can see these changes taking place. I liked that there were places where Mickey made mistakes, and I also liked the conflict taking place in herself when she was initially confronted with pieces of who she was before having her memory wiped. The amnesiac part of Mickey’s story was interesting; I was waiting for the typical ‘bam’ moment when everything flooded back to her—I think Mickey was too, at first LOL—but I was very relieved when that moment never came. I liked that even though she was eager to find out what her life was about before, she was enjoying discovering who she was becoming as well. Her quirks, more so the choice in songs, were campy but endearing and fleshed her personality out a little bit. I also liked Steve and at first I wasn’t sure what to make of him other than that he was nice. Mickey was bouncy and had a frenetic, constant sort of energy about her, while Steve had this quiet, steady sort of strength about him that balanced things out. He wasn’t a caveman in his masculinity, but Mickey’s strength didn’t diminish his and I think that was an important factor. He had some growth to go through in the book and even though it didn’t get quite the attention that Mickey’s journey did, I did like reading about the changes in Steve. It was nice being able to read about his adjustment to what his life became after Mickey came into it rather than an instantaneous acceptance. This book had a lot of evolving in it, even for a few of the background characters, and that was refreshing to read. 

If I had to name something that I didn’t like quite as much, it would be that we didn't get to see Mickey through the process of her actually remembering things; we were just told at the end that she’d since regained the majority of her memories. The meat of the book was about her functioning cold; she had few details of who she was and couldn’t put most of them together just yet so it would have been nice to see a little of pre-wipe Anna or even an integrated Mickey in action. But I suppose you could look at that another way; when Steve was told she’d regained most of her memories he wasn’t told anything other than that because obviously, other things were more important. Lol We found out with Steve, and were privy to the same amount of information and one thing that I noticed with both of these books is that the reader is very much living in the moment with the characters, so that could explain why we don’t get to see Mickey’s growth after regaining her memories. The climactic finish was alright, but for all the drama that had built up to it in Mickey's various interactions with the operatives chasing her, it ran just a little long and I wondered why someone in the area hadn't called the police sooner with all the gunfire that was ringing out. That part was a little unrealistic for me but otherwise it was fine. There were a few small grammatical errors and some of the transitions between scenes felt a little choppy, but it was nothing that took away from the meat of the story.

Overall, I enjoyed this story a lot. I like how even the smaller bits, the background elements, were weaved together to create a cohesive story heavy on action and development with a constant tease of romance throughout. If there is more to explore with Mickey and Steve (and there totally is lol), I’m ready for it. 

Do I recommend this book?

I recommend this book to you if you're more of an action fan and don't want a book heavy on the romance. If you're looking for a kickass heroine, Mickey fits the bill so if you're on the hunt for a softer, more feminine heroine then Hidden Steel probably isn't for you. Same goes if you're after a book with more romance as this book is pretty clean as romances go. Other than a few kisses and the implication of sexy times at the end, there isn't too much steam in this book. It doesn't run super long but after the first couple of chapters things start to pick up a bit, so if you like to read books in one sitting then Hidden Steel shouldn't be a problem as you won't want to put it down until you're finished. Well, I didn't, anyway. lol

Helpful links:

If you'd like to download this book, here's where you can download it:

Amazon ($0.99) | NOOK ($3.99) | Google Play Books ($0.99) | Smashwords ($2.99) | iTunes ($2.99)

To download the boxed set with both books, here are the download links:

Amazon ($5.99) | NOOK ($5.99) | Smashwords ($2.99) | iTunes ($2.99)

If you'd like some more info on the author, Doranna Durgin, here's where you can check her out:

Website | Facebook | Twitter


The second book, Making the Rules, will have a separate review but if you'd like my thoughts on both books at once, you can read my LibraryThing review here.

Read More »

Retrojam

I got an email about this website earlier in the week that would come up with playlists for various pivotal years in my life, so I checked it out. Retrojam uses your birthday to compile playlists throughout your school years; your final years in elementary, middle and high school as well as college are used as the basis to form playlists from those years. It's pretty accurate too, if you didn't fail or skip a grade. I liked it, so I wanted to put it out here and encourage you to go try it for yourself. Here are the quick deets:

What's the purpose?

To provide playlists of songs from back in the day, the songs that usually prompt you to ask the company's tagline, "Remember that song?" when sharing with friends or family. You can save the playlists created, share them on your various social media platforms, or create custom lists.

How does it work?

Start there, by filling in your birthday, and you'll be taken to your timeline, where you'll first see a birthday playlist, followed by a playlist of songs from each year you were in school. You can play or share each track individually, add them to your playlists, or browse lists from other users and add tracks to one of your custom playlists. There's also a section to show what is trending on the site. The premise itself is interesting and I had fun looking at my own lists, but the flaws were exposed when I ran my uncle's birthday through the site to check those playlists. I'll get to that in a minute.


Pros:



--Even though the option to sign in with Facebook and the option to share to it as well as Twitter are there, the site is independent. I hate that most sites are somehow synced with FB in order for you to use them fully, but even though this is an option with Retrojam, it's not required.

--You don't need to create an account with the site in order to see or listen to playlists

--You can change the birthday or date for which you'd like the playlists to be created at any time without losing the playlists that you'd seen...and I'll get to that in the cons

--The opportunity to discover new music that you haven't heard before is definitely there on Retrojam when you search other playlists


Cons:



--The playlists are the same by year regardless of the birthday you search, so if you search the various years hoping to put together another random playlist of hits, you won't find it

--Some years of playlists only have a couple of songs and are far from being full lists

--Many of the songs for various years are inaccurate, unless the versions released for these playlists are remixes that were released during that year





My thoughts:

Like I said above, I liked the concept of the site and I think it has potential. I love the concept of going back through my senior years throughout school and going back through the songs that were hits back then, and I like having the option to share them if I like, but why would I share a playlist with only 2 songs on it? I'm not sure if its a permissions issue and many of the artists haven't given their consent for Retrojam to use their songs, but the library and the developed playlists have yet to live up to the hype. Custom playlists have more weight than the site-curated lists, although they provide a good foundation/time period to base future song additions on. It can get annoying for those of us who aren't regular FB users to sign up or access a site then find out it runs through FB, so I liked that this site was independent of FB. Even though the playlists are repetitive and that can be annoying when you want to get random music from a particular year, it's also good because that means you can look up another birthday and if there are any similar years, you'll be able to access the playlist again. But the inaccuracy of the songs on certain lists gets me as well because some of those songs weren't even released in the same decade, much less the same year of the playlist it ends up falling under. I like the basis on which Retrojam was founded and I think it can go far with some time and a bit more development/library expansion. As it stands now though, it falls a bit flat for me.


Do I recommend this site?

Yes, as long as the user understands that the library, as it is, is rather limited and playlists are repetitive so searching for various birthdays with overlapping school years are fruitless; the playlists will simply repeat. However, creating custom playlists off of these old-school goodies can result in some good, "back in the day..." stories and fun if doing this with others. There are many songs that I didn't even know about until I started looking for playlists on Retrojam, so it does live up to its motto, although it could stand to use a little work. If you're looking for something fully developed, with full playlists for each year, then this isn't the site. Despite those flaws though, I like the site and intend to explore it some more later.

Read More »

March Favorites

Is March really over? I feel like I just finished February's list and here we are already at March's. This month's favorites aren't full of new things; I've kinda been sticking to what I know and rediscovering old favorites. So this probably won't be the most interesting list but that's me. Not the most interesting. lol Here are the things I've been loving this month!

Sally Girl Single Eyeshadow Pots, Wet 'n Wild Silk Finish Lipstick

I've had my Sally Girl single eyeshadow pots for a few years now, but I stopped using them once my makeup collection started to grow. I started using them again this month and I'd forgotten how pigmented they were for store-brand shadows. They last all day, they're very buildable and the intensity increases with the layers, and they look even better when you use a wet application. They're in these tiny pots so they're portable, and depending on how the store handled the shadows they're also durable and don't break easily. The best part is that there are a bunch of colors and each pot only costs 99 cents. There are shimmery colors, metallics, and mattes. You'd have to check at your local Sally Beauty Supply to see what colors are being offered but there's a decent smattering of shades at mine. If I could list a point for improvement on the overall product, it would be to name the colors. 

As I described in my review for the Silk Finish lipsticks, these are a good choice if you're 1-cheap like I am, or 2-prefer to keep the lips simple throughout the day. There isn't a terribly large variety in the shades being offered, but I'm pretty sure there's at least one good color for every skintone. They too are only 99 cents, they're soft and moisturizing on the lips, and are good lipsticks to go with if you want a shiny but natural finish. 

Storm by Carian Cole

I downloaded this book for free from BookBub I think, and it was great. This debut novel by Carian Cole follows the story of two strangers who get trapped together in a truck on a deserted stretch of highway during a blizzard. The heroine of the story, Evelyn, grated on my nerves at first and I was worried I wouldn't warm to her, but I did and in the end, I understood her fully. She too was a fearful sort (something that I am still getting accustomed to sometimes, even after a decade plus), rather uptight and prone to anxiety attacks, bouts of profound doubt and insecurity and ultimately, afraid to leave her protective bubble.

Enter Storm, who is none of those things. He's good-looking and aware of it to the point of arrogance, tatted from the neck down, wears guyliner and really enjoys saying the word "fuck." Ironically, it's being unable to open the doors and leave each other's company that ends up opening so many other doors for Evelyn and the course of her life, and that time spent in the truck with the sinfully delicious Storm ends up being the best thing ever to happen to her. It's just the kind of romance that I, even in my cynicism and disillusionment, really enjoy and Evelyn was like my spirit animal in many ways. I like a dirty, fun romance where people have to get past things with themselves in order to receive something greater; it gives me a chance to live vicariously where gorgeous, tattooed men end up with regular gals like myself. LOL I enjoyed it and I think it was a favorite mainly because I related to Evelyn a lot. If you'd like to read it, here's where you can download it:

Amazon ($0.99) | iTunes ($0.99) | Nook ($0.99) 

Vikings, Duck Dynasty

Both of these are tv shows I already watched, but since I was in satellite timeout as well as blogger timeout last year, I didn't get to watch much tv at all. Luckily, I got my service back right just in time for season 3, which has been nuts so far. I love this show for a number of reasons, but this season has been really gritty and it's been equally stressful and fun to watch. Yes, sometimes tv shows stress me out. Don't act like that's never happened to you.  

Duck Dynasty is an old favorite of mine; I was introduced to the show a couple of years ago and was hooked immediately, mainly because of Si and Jase, but my interest waned a little bit last year. I haven't watched many of the newer episodes, but the first three seasons were gold to me and I've been binge-watching the episodes I'd saved on my DVR. Not too much to say about it; It's a light-hearted show, I love the older episodes and it's great to watch at night when I can't sleep. 

WWE Immortals, HellFire

I haven't been glued to the phone so I could play Immortals off and on all day like I was when I reviewed it, but it's still part of the daily routine. It's fun for me and I'm enjoying building up the coin and improving my characters. There isn't too much more to add that I didn't put in my review of the game, but I'm still having a ball with it.

I used to be hopelessly addicted to HellFire, but after they overhauled the system I was kinda over it for awhile. Immortals kind of reminds me of HellFire though, so I went back while it was on my mind. The addiction isn't back at a level where it's a problem yet, but it has potential. lol It's an elemental-based card game where you fight enemies of differing elements (fire, earth, death & water) with a deck of your strongest cards in those same elements, leveling up and evolving characters (each character has 4 evolutions) as necessary to make them stronger, and destroying enemies with the elements that combat theirs the quickest. Much like Immortals, there are different tiered cards, with some being regular, others being less common and usually having some ability during battles, and others being extremely rare with very strong base abilities. As a lifer of the Nerd Army, I must confess that the rare cards get me excited. lol The character art for these cards is awesome. That's actually one of the best parts of the game for me, acquiring more of the same card so I can see the changes in the character's art as they evolve. Now that I've rediscovered how much I like playing the game, it's been on the brain a lot more than it was. 

Instagram, Pacifica

Hmm...I'm noticing that it's becoming a habit to include more than one thing in each category. lol I don't mean to make this run longer than usual. Moving on to apps though, I don't need to explain Instagram but it's a great source of inspiration and effective time waster for me. 

Pacifica is an app that I recently found that's supposed to help monitor and combat anxiety. I'm going to review it in the next few days so I won't give too much of it away, but it does help when I'm being overly negative because of my anxiety and allows me to get outside of that bubble sometimes. It's a good monitor for the anxious moments I have throughout the day and sometimes I need that. It doesn't necessarily help me stop an anxiety attack, but if I remember to get to the app when I'm feeling anxious, it does help me to figure out my trigger and calm myself down that much faster. 

I Can Build a Blog, Pinterest, Greatist

I Can Build a Blog is a site about the obvious, building a blog and sharpening it to something with an effective image, design and message. Some of the posts include how to create content that you're happy with, how to increase site traffic and build a consistent audience, and smaller design elements that you can change on your own, like header/footer images and the like. Dana has included a lot of relevant information for both WordPress and Blogger on this site, which is updated regularly, so the steps she gives are up to date, easy to follow and she often replies back to commenters who ask her questions. It's been a big help to me since I can't afford to overhaul the blog design on my own. 

Pinterest is where a piece of my soul has been pinned. I have spent so many hours, procrastinated on so many other tasks, and pinned so much junk to my 10+ boards over the years that I really should be collecting a paycheck for my contributions. lol Now that it's so much easier to Pin something to a board from anywhere on the Net, I end up pinning stuff almost every time I'm using the computer. It's a problem. 

Finally, Greatist is a newer website to me but I love it because it has a bit of everything on it. Food, recipes and healthy motivation, workout routines, recommendations and tips, articles for self-help and improvement purposes, and random articles about life in general. I think overall the goal is to help you live better, mentally and physically, and the daily newsletter is usually full of links to helpful articles with tips and tricks.....that I pin to an applicable board as soon as I can.  

Color and home inspiration boards, luxury and high-end product dupes

I'm still stuck on inspiration boards, but we're a quarter of the way through the year and I still have yet to actually create one for myself. I'm still not sure what I'd like to include on my own board, so right now I'm getting my inspiration from looking at other people's boards. What inspires them, how did they style their boards, how large are the boards, how do I go about going through with the things on the boards that inspire and motivate me, those are usually the questions that I ask when trying to come up with my own. I want something that speaks to me, but it's interesting seeing how other people's boards are representatives of their minds and how they work. 

I love a good product dupe, whether it's a nail polish or cheaper version of a piece of overpriced furniture from the store. I also like making things with my hands and having someone ask me where I bought this or that and being able to tell them that I made it. So much of what we see today is easily replicated for a much cheaper price, which is where the fun part comes in for me. It's fun challenging myself to see if I can come up with supply lists and accurate directions to recreate some of the more expensive home decor items I see in stores and online. It's a goal of mine to someday have a DIY series on here full of store products that I've DIY'd for a better price without sacrificing the aesthetic of the original. 

My laptop, green nail polish, cookbooks, food trucks, sunlight, the 1920s

I've had my child (my laptop) back for a month and it's been such a beautiful reunion. She still needs a couple of small fixes but otherwise it's been wonderful. Green polish made its mark on my nails for just about the entire month, and that too was wonderful. March is home to one of my favorite holidays and one of my favorite colors, so obviously I had to celebrate in style. lol 

Lately, I've been feeling really inspired with the different things I want to cook, learn to cook and the dishes I'd like to experiment with cooking. So my nose has been in more than a few cookbooks throughout the month. When I cleaned out underneath my bed earlier this month, I found a (don't you even think of judging me) Richard Simmons cookbook that I'd apparently thrifted a few years prior, and the clowning session that my entire household (that's 7 people, folks) had at my expense afterward still haunts me. lol That was just the beginning though, I've been looking through cookbooks and perusing recipes ever since. Cooking is one of the few things I am good at, and I love it. That brings me to food trucks and my goal to one day have one of my own. It combines the next favorite on my list with cooking, traveling around the city, and feeding people. I'm ready for it. 

Sunlight. Precious sunlight. Now that winter is officially over, the sun is back out in full force here in Texas and it's been glorious. Two weeks ago it was in the mid '50s, and this weekend is looking to be somewhere near 90. I feel bad complaining when I know we didn't get a fraction of what the rest of the country got this past winter, but hell, I was cold. So welcome, spring. I've been waiting for ya. 

Finally, the '20s has been on my mind ever since I did a post about the Harlem Renaissance over on my vintage blog. It's been a favorite decade of mine for a few years, but for some reason that post just kicked things into overdrive for me. The fashion was great, there was no shortage of entertainment, but culturally and nationally there were so many significant things happening, the Renaissance being one of those things. It's a very informative decade to explore. 

Sorry this month's post ran so long. I didn't intend to have more than one favorite for just about each category, but there it is. If you've made it this far, thank you. I'll try to shorten things up for April's list. What were some of your favorites this month? And I'm sorry I don't have a documentary recommendation this month, ever since I got my satellite restored I've been binge-DVR'ing and haven't been on Netflix too much so I haven't seen any new ones. When I am on there, I'm usually watching Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries. Which coincidentally, is set in the late '20s. See how it all comes full circle? LOL See you soon!

Read More »

WWE Immortals

As I said last year when I reviewed the WWE Network, I'm a stan for professional wrestling. And as I also said last year when I reviewed the Network, this is going to be a lengthy post so....well, deal with it. If you just want the gist, skip down a little bit for the quick details; the pros and cons are right under that. Anyway, I know that according to the WWE machine I should be saying 'sports entertainment,' but bump it. They're wrestling in that ring and that's what I've been calling it for 28 years, so that's what it is to me. But regardless of how you describe it, I'm a lifer. I've been watching for as long as I can remember, and minus a few years where I took sabbaticals (but still kept up with the happenings for the most part), it's always been a big part of my life. I've played some of the games over the years as well; just to kick it old school for a minute, I still own Day of Reckoning 2 for the GameCube; it's probably scratched all to hell by now but I'd still play it. lol I'm not really one for sports games in general (I tried Smackdown vs Raw on the Wii, lost horribly and decided that the Wii style of fighting wasn't for me LOL), but I'm open to trying something new when the mood calls for it. Well, such a mood has been called for (lol) and that brings me to the latest game release from WWE, the mobile-exclusive WWE Immortals. 

Source

What is it? 

A card based fighting game using some of today's most popular WWE Superstars....with a little supernatural help. Think of it as a little WWE with some Injustice and a touch of HellFire (if you play that game) thrown in for good measure. 

Available platforms: 

Android, iOS, PC (but you'll need an emulator for whichever mobile system you use first)

Price:
Free, unless you want extra items from the store


Ease of gameplay:
Very easy, the tutorial during the first match explains everything very clearly and in a way that is easy to remember, and there are always helpful prompts, like when to perform a power attack


Extras:
For an app game (a preface that is quickly losing resonance lol), this is a rather detailed game. In addition to the main storyline, there is also the option to go online, where the player can participate in online matches or daily quests. From time to time there are also challenge modes, which consist of 5 separate requirements and you get to choose which ones you'll do--but in order to reap the reward of the challenge as a whole, you must complete all of the individual quests first. You don't run out of things to do until your team's stamina is depleted, but depending on your collection, you can probably just swap out the players for those with full stamina and keep going. If you play regularly, you will most likely accumulate some stamina cards so you'll be able to use those to replenish your team's energy as well.

Kane's character art. How badass does this look, right?

Pros:

• Great graphics
• The wrestler likenesses are pretty accurate for many
• Opportunities to upgrade/strengthen your characters are layered, so you don't get to max them out easily or quickly (unless you're adding a lot of money to your account to afford upgrades)
• Challenge mode is varied
• The matches aren't as long as traditional console matches
• There are differing rewards but they're all useful; none are pointless
• Many challenges have coin payouts so its not hard to earn money and upgrade your character cards if you play regularly
• When there's no lag, you can see that the concept for the game is well-executed and the matches fast-paced
• Online mode isn't just limited to fighting with no purpose
• The character's level is always at the top of the card (except for in mystery fights), so its not often that you'll be unaware of when your cards are not evenly matched with your opponent's cards

Cons:

• LAG/FREEZE CITY!!!
• The game is very large so it can take quite awhile to download, but its still significantly smaller than Injustice
• Buying characters without loading money to replenish lost coin can leave you broke pretty quickly
• Some of the Superstars' "superhero" concepts are rather....underwhelming
• Not enough variety with the characters being offered
• Long loading time when starting a match
• Sometimes the finger taps don't connect; this happens most often with trying to block or activate Signature moves
• Challenge mode doesn't go on for very long and this doesn't leave new players with enough time to build up their cards to play
• Minor point but the major storyline of the game gets kind of lost with all of the side challenges

This part of the store is where you can buy various perks for your characters,
such as the Rock's Cooking that we don't get to smell anymore. I see what
you did there, Vince. Very cheeky. lol

My thoughts: (this is where it gets lengthy)

I didn't read any other reviews prior to my downloading the game; I wanted to find out everything on my own as I played the game so I could write an unbiased review. Moving on to expand on the pros and cons, I'm really loving the graphics and execution of this game. It reminds me a lot of Injustice, and that's not a bad thing at all. Injustice, in both console and mobile form, is an amazing game and WWE Immortals takes a bit of that concept but makes it something all its own. The facial likenesses and mannerisms are very accurate for many, and the character art, as you can see in the screenshots I've sprinkled throughout the post, was superb, in my opinion. One of my biggest complaints with games that intend to be inspired off of the likenesses of real people is that often times, it falls flat. Immortals nailed it. Check out the character art for Paige and Kane. I love it.

The cards are another one of my favorites in this game because they're far from one-dimensional. Every match helps increase the player's level, which in turn increases the stats. You can add on additional perks (extra health, damage, etc.) to the character, you can unlock their signature moves then gradually strengthen the impact of those as well, and equip them with up to 3 pieces of gear. That brings me to another piece of the game that I like; all of the characters have certain allies and enemies, which also has an impact on how the card plays. And if you don't like a particular card or don't wish to have that Superstar in your collection anymore, you can always sell it. That reminds me a bit of HellFire, where you can just level up a stronger card by merging them together. This particular card is for Roman Reigns (I chose this card at random, of course). I think the Signature moves are friggin' awesome and I love watching my opponents' health level deplete after completing one. LOL There are bronze, silver and gold characters, all of whom have differing attack and health levels.

I just took this screenshot yesterday, so obviously I've leveled up quite a bit
from the next photo I'm putting in, but this is what a character's page looks like.
Roman was one of my starter characters; I'm not sure if everyone gets the same
three cards or if they're selected for everyone at random. 

Challenge mode is varied as I said above; you get 5 smaller quests, and each of them require about 10 matches. Each match is no more than 5 minutes, so you don't get stuck in the matches like on consoles that take 15-20 minutes. Most of the rewards are in the form of coins, which definitely come in handy as all character upgrades gradually increase in cost. When the game isn't lagging or freezing (which I'm going to get to in a minute), you can see how fast-paced the game is and how well it actually plays. Everything is executed quickly and the tag partner switches keep the matches exciting, as does the ability to unlock new locations. And finally, you won't often be overmatched with opponents when playing regularly; online it's a bit of a toss-up but the system-operated opponents always have their levels above the card on clear display. 

This is what the chain of fights in a battle looks like. As you gradually move
up the totem pole, the levels of your opponents will increase and the final
level will either be a leveled mini-boss by themselves or a regular tag match
that includes a mini-boss. This screenshot is from when I first started playing.

And now for the cons. This game lags and freezes like nobody's business. That was the only part of other players' reviews that I did read, so turns out that it is a universal complaint. Most of the matches I've played since downloading this game have lagged horribly, almost to the point where I can barely see my hits connecting. It's extremely irritating, has caused me to rage quit on a few occasions and has made me lose a number of matches, because even though my hits aren't connecting due to lag, the computer's hits sure are. LOL Said lag results in this problem happening frequently, more so when trying to block a hit or activate a Signature move. It's crashed my phone a few times now, most of which was mid-match, and that's incredibly annoying too. If you're pressed for space on your phone, don't bother downloading WWE Immortals--this game is nearly 2GB. 

Some of the Superstar concepts are a little underwhelming...to me anyway. Big Show is a behemoth of a man, so the possibilities of supernatural stuff they could have done is limitless...and they made him a lumberjack?? And did they really make Daniel Bryan a goat?? When I first saw one of Trish Stratus' cards, I thought it was Beth Phoenix. I think it was the outfit. But meh, some of the Superstars' concepts are a little underwhelming for me. But while I'm on the subject of the Superstars, the initial offerings for purchase aren't very varied. Each Superstar has two forms, but I keep seeing the same folks over and over in the store. I'm hoping that I simply haven't unlocked the others yet, because I'd love to see some HoF'ers and more of the current roster in this game. I think amped up versions of BNB's Bullhammer or Dolph Ziggler's Zig Zag would look sweet. I'm also digging the concept of forming and saving certain combos of characters that have particular perks when teaming, like reforming The Shield (and that totally wasn't a biased opinion....) or putting together certain members of DX or The Authority. Get on that, Vince, these are good ideas. lol Finally, unless you're ready to put some major coin in the shop, you won't be getting your hands on cards like these very easily. 

These are some of the other forms of the offered Superstars. Check those prices.

Do I recommend this game?

Yes, if you're a WWE fan and you liked Injustice, or if you're a WWE fan and like the card concept of gaming. The common denominator here though is that you should probably already be a WWE fan as I don't think the game will be as interesting for players who aren't already fans of the product. Because the concept of professional wrestling in general already holds little weight to most of mainstream society, I can't see many people who don't watch wrestling liking a game centered on said industry quite as much. I also recommend it if you're a fan like me who doesn't own the current console games and wants something with gameplay that's a bit shorter. 

Overall, I love this game. I'm really enjoying leveling up my characters and unlocking new stuff, and because I've always had a hard-on for the supernatural in general, the premise of the game isn't ridiculous to me. It's quite the contrary for me, actually. I know the realists, the "wrestling is fake and this game is dumb" folks aren't all that pleased with this game, but I don't care. Immortals is a solid game, it has a lot of potential, and I'm having a ball. There are some parts of the game that require work, so I'm hoping that future upgrades include fixes. I think a lot of attention and detail went into the development of this game in many areas, and I appreciate that. Many games are one-dimensional these days, and its easy to get bored or max out your characters quickly. Immortals deftly avoided that trap and makes it fun in the process. That lag really is for the birds, though. 

Read More »

Wet 'n Wild Silk Finish Lipstick

Wet 'n Wild recently came out with a new 'line,' so to speak, of beauty products all priced at 99 cents. WnW is a pretty affordable brand to begin with, but what I think makes this line a bit different from the others is that its more diverse in its offerings. There are nail polishes, lipsticks, eye pencils, single shadows, and even some false lashes. I've bought a few products from each category, but I thought I'd start this next batch of reviews with the product I've bought the most from that line, which would be the Silk Finish lipsticks. I've bought 4 from the Silk Finish line so far, and here's what I thought:

--Blind Date is more of a sheer pink, which is good if you're after a light, everyday shade. One coat fits the bill for an understated lip, but for me personally, I'd go for two coats.

--Cherry Frost is the lipstick I wore for Christmas, and I love it. One thing I noticed about the lipsticks, this shade in particular, is that they don't photograph true to color. This red is actually more vivid than it shows in this photo. It also has some glitter in it, but it doesn't overpower the color itself unless you apply more than a couple of layers.















--Black Orchid and Dark Wine are extremely similar in color, but Black Orchid has more of a brown undertone to it than Dark Wine does. This is a very pigmented lipstick, and the brown pigment increases as you apply more layers. One thorough layer should be enough with this one.

--Dark Wine is just as intense as Black Orchid to me, but it looks a bit more brick than brown. It too has a bit of glitter in it and like the others, only needs one thorough coat to give your lips some color.


These photos are mostly unedited so they're mostly true to how they originally photographed; I just used the Punch filter to make the photos a little bit brighter.

Pros:


--Much smoother in application than the Megalast lipsticks
--Most of the colors allow for buildable layers
--There's a large array of shades in the line to choose from
--Slightly shiny finish, don't feel drying on the lips or give them a dry appearance
--A light application of the darker shades goes a long way
--The obvious, they're all only 99 cents
--A bit versatile with application options




Cons:

--Definitely not smudgeproof, they rub and smudge very easily
--Even though there are many shades, many of them are pretty similar
--The wall swatches are a bit different from the actual color of the lipstick as well as the color swatch on the bottom of the tube; it feels a little misleading
--The lack of being true to color extends to the photos; the colors tend to look a little dull
--The darker shades stain the lips a little bit upon removal
--The lipstick breaks in the tube or the twist-off cap also activates the twist-up of the wand, smudging the lipstick





My thoughts:

First things first. If you're expecting a Revlon or MAC-quality lipstick, then you'll be disappointed. It's not quite that high-end. Same goes if you're expecting a color that will last throughout meals or a workday without constant reapplication. If you want something that will last long enough to run errands or just want something for everyday, casual wear, then these fit the bill. They don't last terribly long without needing to reapply, but if you don't need it to stay on very long then you should be fine. I prefer the application and feel of these over the Megalast line, but as far as the intensity of the color, the Megalasts are still better.

My primary complaints would be the copious smudging and lack of staying power, but I think that's a complaint across the board for all of the Wet 'n Wild lipsticks that I have. Another complaint with most Wet 'n Wild lipsticks that I have is that the formula of the lipstick causes it to break very easily, even if you're not rough on your products. So it has the potential to get very messy, which is annoying for obvious reasons. The cap complaint is only significant because with the twist-off cap that these lipsticks seem to have, when you try to twist off the cap sometimes it'll twist up the tube as well, bringing more of the lipstick up and smudging the cap. But if you decide to just pull the cap off rather than twisting it, you risk scratching the lipstick, which has happened to me quite a few times. I think they should be just a little easier to remove so that you don't damage the lipstick or smudge the cap. When I ran across these at Walgreens, I noticed that some of the wall swatches were much lighter than the actual lipstick, which I didn't really understand. But don't go by the wall swatches or the color codes on the bottom; I didn't find them to be accurate.

I like all of the Silk Finish lipsticks that I have, and the fact that they're not as intense as the Megalasts allows for a bit more versatility. You can lightly dot it on if you're going for a light coloring, you can use it with a lipliner to enhance the color, or you can go all out and apply a couple of layers. I love that they're only 99 cents, and I think they live up to their name of having a silk finish. They're very smooth on the lips and don't leave your lips looking dry after you remove it. I like these lipsticks a lot.


Do I recommend this product? Yes


Where can you buy this product?
Dollar General, Walgreens, Walmart

Read More »