Lenni Reviews: "Fenced-In Felix" by Cheyenne Blue

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review and is rated for 18+

Felix Jameson has been working on turning her family's land into a hospitality business including cabins, campgrounds, and trail rides with her own horses. As she's doing errands and distributing some promotional materials around her small Australian town, she meets Josie, a drifter currently bar tending at the local watering hole. Felix tries to avoid getting involved but Josie also needs a place to board her horse; Flame. But Flame looks eerily like a recently stolen racehorse, leading Felix to wonder what this woman she has fallen for may be involved in.

This book is in a series called "Girl Meets Girl" but it functions perfectly fine as a standalone story.

I got a real good sense of the Australian outback and Felix and Josie as characters. I love how the mystery surrounding the horses moves their relationship and while that initial event brings them together; it follows along with them in a very real way. As the mystery deepens, so does Felix and Josie's connection. It's also comforting for everything to be wrapped up in a realistic way so we avoid an unrealistically neat ending.

If I were to nitpick, I would say that the ending needed an epilogue for some of the unanswered questions as to the fate of the horse after the investigation (I am trying to avoid spoilers). Also, it kinda bugged me in the beginning when Felix kept saying Josie wasn't beautiful. And I don't mean "she wasn't beautiful; she was - insert descriptive term like 'compelling'-". It it was just eh, not pretty. Ok then, what are you attracted to? Just her butt? I got over it but it raised my eyebrow... Overall? 4 out of 5. A very sweet and saucy lesbian romance.

Iron Fist and Luke Cage: Secret Empire #2 Preview

Danny Rand and Luke Cage take on a hoard of demons - and blame Doctor Strange - in this preview of next week's Secret Empire #2 (via CBR).

SECRET EMPIRE #2 (of 9)

NICK SPENCER (W) • ANDREA SORRENTINO (A)

Cover by MARK BROOKS

Villain Variant Cover by Dan Mora

ACTION FIGURE VARIANT COVER BY JOHN TYLER CHRISTOPHER

VARIANT COVER BY J. SCOTT CAMPBELL

Hydra Hero VARIANT Cover by ANDREA SORRENTINO

Enshrouded in darkness, plagued by the minions of Baron Mordo and cut off from all assistance, The Defenders and Doctor Strange struggle to save the lives of the innocent people consigned to this hell on Earth. Will Dagger prove to be the key to stopping this nightmare? Meanwhile, will the appearance of a new hero provide Iron Man with the key to Captain America’s startling change? THE SECRET EMPIRE WILL DEFEND YOU!

48 PGS./Rated T+ …$4.99

Interview With Chris Nicolella (Brand Manager for 8-Bit Art)

Interviewed By Justin D Williams

Justin interviews Chris Nicolella the Brand Manager for 8-Bit Art. They discuss how 8-Bit Art came to fruition, how they got license from Nintendo and a discussion about some of their products. For more information visit http://8-bitart.com/

Godzilla Legend—Music of Akira Ifukube (Review)

Reviewed by Justin D Williams

Special guests Charan-Po-Rantan and Makigami Koichi (center) performed in Godzilla Legend—Music of Akira Ifukube at Japan Society on April 28, 2017. The concert was conceived and arranged by Inoue Makoto (far left) and performed by the band Hikashu and other special guest musicians. Photo by Ayumi Sakamoto. 

For the first time in the U.S., legendary Japanese composer Akira Ifukube’s massively influential monster music comes to life in the chamber pop/rock aural extravaganza, Godzilla Legend—Music of Akira Ifukube. Presented by Japan's popular techno-pop band Hikashu, this 90-minute tour de force performance features favorite themes and sensational musical set pieces from some of the most revered Godzilla movies of all time. Devised and arranged by Hikashu founding member INOUE Makoto under Ifukube's endorsement, the performance features narration by Inoue, who also plays synthesizers, and appearances by 'extreme vocalist' and multi-instrumentalist MAKIGAMI Koichi, current Hikashu front man, and rising star art-pop duo Charan-Po-Rantan. The one-night-only concert took place Friday, April 28, 7:30 pm, at Japan Society.

I have to say this was an event for any fan of Godzilla. The performance was spot on. When I arrived to get my ticket, and I was offer for plug just in cas I couldn't handle loud noises. I knew I was in for an experienced. The show kicked off with the tradition theme from the classic Godzilla movie. The band played the song perfectly and vocals by Charan-Po-Rantan was spot on. The sound production made you feel every single drum, trumpet, guitar riff and vocal. There was times I had to put the plug in my ears you really feel it. The concert didn't just show love to the Godzilla. The concert played themes from some Mothra and more. What makes this experience different is the band actually takes time to give you a history on Godzilla, the theme after each set. There was 5 sets focusing on Godzilla, a key battle or his threats. Overall this was a great concert and a true love letter to fans of Godzilla.

5/5  

Netfix Defenders Trailer

Hey O&G fans, Today Netflix released the first official trailer for the defenders, featuring the revival of Elodie Yung's Elektra and the first video of Sigourney Weaver's Alexandria.

Here is a look at the Trailer:

Marvel's The Defenders follows Daredevil (Charlie Cox), Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter), Luke Cage (Mike Colter) and Iron Fist (Finn Jones). A quartet of singular heroes with one common goal - to save New York City. This is the story of four solitary figures, burdened with their own personal challenges, who realize they just might be stronger when teamed together.

Defenders is scheduled to premiere August 18 on Netflix.

Lenni Reviews: "Cross My Heart" by Catt Ford

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review and is rated for 18+

Daniel Hunter sees Lana Renault pass him in the streets and is immediately smitten by this beautiful, elegant, and classy Parisian woman. But Lana is Roland Reynolds; who feels more comfortable living as Lana and wearing women's clothing without judgment. Having had painful and violent reactions in the past, Lana has resigned herself to a life of loneliness. Daniel's gentle and romantic pursuit of her is very tempting but Lana is terrified of how Daniel may react to the truth.

This book reminds me of those old black and white romance movies with some deliciously smutty bits thrown in. At times it does fall into the trap of being too perfect but this is a book for hopeless romantics who believe in happily ever after - which I am not. But, with Ford's writing, I almost believe it. Starting off a bit slow but touching my heart, I give this book a 3.7 out of 5. 

Lenni Reviews: "City of Dreams" by Sydney Blackburn

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review and is rated 18+

Marcus Allegro travels to the City of Dreams to study art under Sebastian Moreaux; a master painter and well known to bed any willing student he comes across, shunning any sort of commitment. When he sets his sights on Marcus, Sebastian is baffled when the young man absolutely refuses to add his name to Sebastian's long list of forgotten conquests. This makes Sebastian want him even more but Marcus is looking for true love, which Sebastian takes great pains to avoid.

I feel if given more space to grow, this story would have more of an impact. I would have had a better understanding of how magic fits in this world, how artists have The Eye, how Sebastian came to be so guarded, how Marcus came to be such a romantic, and gotten to know them both more; I would be more invested in their romance and in their world. Coming in at a scant 59 pages as it is, this story is more like a sweet breeze; enjoyable but gone too fast. 3 out of 5.

Lenni Reviews: "The Edge of the Blade" by Jeffe Kennedy

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review and is rated for 18+

Elite warrior, scout, and spy Jepp is lethal with her blades and her tongue so when she is selected for a diplomatic mission as an ambassador to a country where women are wives or sex slaves, she finds remaining docile and subservient more challenging than anything she's faced before. But she must gather information on how big of a threat this foreign king may be and return alive without starting a war. Oh, and she's sleeping with the king's son; Prince Kral... Who has a wife.

Jepp is a cool character. You get a great sense of who she is from the smart writing and enjoy the story from her perspective. She's smart, tough, and funny; you could see yourself chilling at the bar with her despite the fact she would drink you under the table.

While containing romantic and erotic elements, the way this book is structured made them feel like a legitimate part of the story instead of the plot grinding to a halt so the main characters can bone. There is genuine peril and intrigue with high stakes in a well written and constructed fantasy world. I haven't read the first book (it may have given me some deeper context into some character relationships but it's not necessary) but the story is so interesting, I'd be excited to follow to the next book. It's obvious Jepp and the Uncharted Realms world have plenty more stories to tell. 4.5 out of 5.

Tribeca Games Festival Streaming Schedule

Posted by Justin D Williams

Tribeca Games Festival can be streamed live starting tomorrow at 10:00am ET. Hideo Kojima, Ken Levine and Sam Lake headline the fest’s content-rich day of programming; their keynotes, and many others, can be watched via Tribeca’s Twitch channel. Two of the keynotes will stand apart from classic game discussions, with film directors Doug Liman (Edge of Tomorrow) and Neil Burger (Limitless) joining in to speak with Ken and Sam. www.Twitch.tv/TribecaGames

STREAMING SCHEDULE, SATURDAY 4/29 - ALL TIMES EASTERN

10:00 - 10:50am

• Retro Active with Davey Wreden (The Stanley Parable) and John Watson (The Banner Saga)

• Moderated by Chris Grant (Polygon)

11:00 - 11:50am

• 25th Anniversary of The Lawnmower Man + The Past, Present & Future of VR with director Brett Leonard, Jessica Brillhart (Principal Filmmaker for VR at Google)

• Moderated by Alex Goldman (Gimlet Media)

12:00 - 12:50pm

• Retro Active with Jonathan Morin (Watchdogs 2)

• Moderated by Matt Thompson (The Atlantic)

2:30 - 3:20pm

• Retro Active with Sean Vanaman (Firewatch)

• Moderated by Jamin Warren (Kill Screen)

3:30 - 4:20pm

• Achievement Oriented podcast with Michael Chu (Overwatch) and Kiki Wolfkill (Halo)

• Hosted by Ben Lindbergh and Jason Conception (The Ringer)

4:30 - 5:20pm

• Keynote with Sam Lake (Max Payne, Alan Wake) and Neil Burger (Limitless)

• Moderated by Chris Suellentrop (Glixel)

5:30 - 6:20pm

• Keynote with Hideo Kojima (Metal Gear, Kojima Productions)

• Moderated by Geoff Keighley

6:30 - 7:20pm

• Keynote with Ken Levine (Bioshock) and Doug Liman (Edge of Tomorrow)

• Moderated by Clive Thompson (WIRED)