ARC REVIEW Immortal Creators by Jill Bowers

Immortal Writers #2, I didn't really like this one as much as the first one. Normally I love sci-fi but I didn't feel a connection to the characters like I did the first book. Scott, the main character, really got on my nerves he acted like a petulant child for most of the book. Like in the first book Scott becomes an Immortal Writer which basically means the characters he wrote came to life and now it is up to him to defeat the antagonist in this case the leader of a bloodthirsty alien warrior race set on conquering the earth. Scott has to tell his protagonist the truth of the situation and get their help. The other Immortal Writers lend their support such literary icons such as H.G. Wells, Philip K.Dick, and the leader of the Writers, William Shakespeare; we also see the main characters from the first book lend a hand. This can be read as a stand alone if you haven't read the first one. Overall, I do love the whole concept of this series, I think it's absolutely brilliant and I do want to read the next book in the series but this one just fell short.  

ARC REVIEW The Christmas Wishing Tree by Emily March

Eternity Springs #15, Finally, I have been waiting on Devon Murphy's story since he first showed up as a teenager in book 4, Lover's Leap. I love Emily March and this series it's another series I buy in paperback. The whole theme for the series is that Eternity Springs is a place where broken hearts come to heal, so you know it's going to get emotional, I was crying a quarter of the way into the book. Another thing you know about this series is that it will be funny at times with quirky characters and even sillier dogs but also hope; the characters always remind each other there is always room for hope and that things have a way of working out for the better especially when there is trouble everyone is willing to pitch in to help.

I love it when characters kind of fall for each other before they meet face to face, in Devon and Jenna's case it's through phone calls. Jenna's adopted son Reilly was given a phone number to Santa who he ended up calling was Devon. With it being Christmas Devon didn't want to break a little boy's heart so Devon plays along. Devon calls back hoping to get Reilly's Mom but the phone goes unanswered when Jenna finally answers the phone it's clear she's distraught after confirming his story with Devon she agrees to play along too and Reilly can continue to call Santa. Jenna and Devon continue to talk too only knowing each other as Santa and Reilly's Mom. But on New Years Eve something horrible happens and Jenna cuts off contact with Devon before he can say goodbye to Reilly.

Having heard all about Eternity Springs from "Santa" Jenna decides Reilly needs a little heart healing after what happened the previous year and they spend Christmas at Angel's Rest in Eternity Springs. After meeting Celeste and seeing Reilly turn back to the boy she knew before she understands why "Santa", Celeste, and just about everyone else calls Eternity Springs the place where broken hearts come to heal. But two months later and once again something happens to send Jenna and Reilly running. Later that summer Jenna and Reilly are living in an RV off the grid and under assumed names come back to visit Eternity Springs hoping no one recognizes them. Not only do they run into all the friends they made at Christmas they meet "Santa" face to face for the first time. When Jenna finally confesses what's been happening Devon and everyone else in town go above and beyond to help her and Reilly and stop their tormentor.

Devon and Jenna's romance was slow burning but the spark was instantaneous starting back with the phone calls. Jenna knew how good of a person Devon was especially with her son and how much he loved his family and his home when she met his family the next year she fell in love a little bit more and then she met him and she was a goner. Devon always felt divided between his family and Eternity Springs and his love for being out on the ocean and his first home Australia. He fell a little in love with Reilly and his Mom and even though it was supposed to be goodbye he kept his Santa phone just in case Reilly made contact again and since then no one could live up to the fantasy of "Reilly's Mom" until he meets her in person and she exceeded his fantasy but he doesn't think he can take her away from her new life and up root Reilly and take them to Australia so he tries not to love her but it's easier said than done. Overall, this was a wonderful read. I absolutely adore this series. I loved Reilly and his thirst for knowledge he is such a cute kid. Boone McBride, oh well, maybe the third time's the charm.  

ARC REVIEW Rocky Mountain Christmas Cowboy by Katie Ruggle

Rocky Mountain Cowboys #1, I love it when new series start with the Christmas book! Yes Christmas books already and I'm so thrilled I started with this one I love Katie Ruggle she's pretty much an auto buy in paperback for me. A nice little bonus is the map at the beginning that shows where all her towns correlate to each other, I think it's cool and makes everything a little more realistic and easier to picture in my head.

Have you meet Steve? If you have read the other two series Ruggle has written than chances are you have. Steve Springfield is a single dad of four rambunctious kids (at this point three of them are teenagers) and firefighter extraordinaire, and since the last town he lived in was kind of blown up he moved his kids back to his hometown to live with his brothers and help run the Christmas Tree ranch. Camille Brandt is an eccentric artist who makes something beautiful out of scrap metal. Raised by her grandmother and still living in the same house she grew up in she always been the shy one and her social awkwardness hasn't gotten any better with age. When her too-nosy-for-her-own-good-neighbor calls 911 because she thinks Camille didn't come home after walking into the woods last night Steve and the VFD get called in to assist Search and Rescue. Steve finds Camille in the junkyard perfectly alright, warm, absolutely adorable, and thoroughly embarrassed. To take attention off of her he feigns getting stuck just so she can make a getaway with out all the fuss. Out of all the Springfield boys Steve was always Camille's favorite, he won her heart as a teenager when he played hero and now again years later for what he did in the junkyard. Steve is completely taken with Camille, she grew up even more beautiful than he could have imagined and she's brilliant, funny, so incredibly talented, and best of all she gets along and understands his kids (they are extraordinary kids). Steve and Camille are aware of the attraction between them and as scared as Camille is she's willing to step out of her comfort zone to spend time with him but soon Camille needs Steve to be her hero once again this time it's a life or death situation.

Overall, I loved this book! Katie Ruggle writes socially awkward characters so well. Her active setting is so good I'm definitely in the Christmas mood wishing it was snowing and Christmas time already. I love Steve's kids they are all pretty amazing and great comic relief for the story. Camille and Steve are pretty amazing too they have a great story; Camille is all alone in the world and when tragedy strikes Steve is there to help and be her rock. It was a great story with great characters. Can't wait for more!   

  

ARC REVIEW Hidden by Rebecca Zanetti

Deep Ops #1, Brand new series from Rebecca Zanetti. The Deep Ops or Requisition Force is a new division of Homeland full of misfits and troublemakers, lead by Angus Force and his peculiar GSD, Roscoe. Malcolm West was a detective undercover for a long time burned out and now retired he's ready to just live a quiet life until he meets Pippa his new neighbor and Angus Force offers him a job. Get close to Pippa and find out if she's really a plant from a cult. Force has a source in the cult that says the leader has sent out several woman to act as his angels on judgement day. Mal does it not for Force but for Pippa, there is something about Pippa that draws Mal in that screams she needs protecting. Pippa has been on the run for the last ten years escaped from the cult when she was eighteen now she's a virtual assistant who rarely leaves her house not because she's agoraphobic but because she's scared someone will recognize her and turn her in. The closer Mal gets the deeper his feelings for Pippa get and he knows she's innocent of everything and wants to protect her more than anything but Pippa won't let him.

Overall, it was a great start to a new series it's a great introduction to all the quirky characters and one really weird dog who likes to wear and than chew up high heels, munch on lipstick, and hates argyle patterns. Written in third person POV switching from character to character but not too much it mainly focuses on Pippa and Mal. Very intense at parts broken up with the silliness of the secondary characters. I for one can not wait for Wolfe's story and his little kitten. I can understand why Pippa isn't trusting but she gets very aggravating after a while. Mal is great very protective and a little bit damaged I really liked his character.    

ARC REVIEW Uncontrollable by Nina Croft

Beyond Human #3, This series and this book is so unbelievably good. With how this series is I would recommend read the first two; I do think you could read this one without reading the first two but so much happens in every book there is quite a bit of little details you miss not reading the first two. So much happens in this book it's kind of hard to talk about without potentially ruining anything. Croft is a fantastic writer, she puts so much into her books without them getting overly complicated and hard to follow. This is easy to read and as complex as it is it's easy to follow. The characters have plenty of depth with quirk and wit, head strong determination and strong ethics of what they think are right and wrong even if those lines are getting more and more blurred the deeper they dig to find the truth. It's a very fulfilling story with plenty of action and character development, the romance between Quinn and Melody is a slow burn to start off but as soon as they give into it there's no stopping them.

This book definitely takes a big step into the Sci-Fi genre by bringing in time travel and an apocalyptic future complete with space aliens and intergalactic space travel. Melody herself was adopted and raised by an alien. Two thousand years into the future time travel is forbidden Melody is part of a time enforcement agency and recently volunteered for a case that will take her back farther than anyone else has safely gone before. Quinn has finally located his mentor and the man who is the however many greats grandson of the man who originally found the Tribe hidden away in the depths of the Congo. The Tribe has telepathic powers and in more recent years a secret organization tried to harness that power by controlling them. When the genetically modified children of the Tribe had had enough of the experimentations they broke free. When they did this the man who helped raise them their mentor went missing. Four years later Quinn finally located him in an American prison but when they went to free him they meet up with a rogue FBI agent who claimed she was there to help. Melody posing as FBI goes along with Quinn, because nothing she read about in the history books said anything like what happening is suppose to happen yet but nothing they are doing is registering as an anomaly. The more questions that get answered create more questions and it's up to Quinn and Melody to get to the bottom of what's going on. 

Overall, this was an outstanding book. It sucks you in and you become so engulfed into the story everything else fades away.            

ARC REVIEW Dangerous Secrets by Sidney Bristol

Aegis Group #6, Another fantastic, adventurous, romantic suspense from Sidney Bristol. The Aegis group is back with Ryan Scott. Ryan has to face the consequences of his playboy lifestyle when Carson shows up on his doorstep claiming to be pregnant with his child. It's not hard for Ryan to believe he slept with Carson she's exactly his type but he can't believe he was foolish enough to forget his night with her; what's done is done and Ryan welcomes Carson into his home with open arms. Ryan's roommates aren't as convinced and when the truth comes out Ryan is hurt and feels betrayed; he also knows there has to be more to the story that what she's telling. Ryan isn't going to let Carson go without a fight and he's willing to go up against anybody to protect her even if it's the FBI.

I'm very picky about the playboys I like. Ryan I really liked. He drinks to excess and sleeps around and uses that as his destresser but when faced with the consequences of his lifestyle he steps up he reevaluates his life and realizes it can't go on like this anymore. Carson is stuck between a rock and a hard place and the only way she can think of to get Ryan's protection without telling him anything is to lie. I wasn't thrilled with how she went about it but I understand her reasoning I ended up really liking her character. Together Ryan and Carson are sweet, I enjoyed them as a couple I loved how ready for fatherhood Ryan was and how forgiving he was, eventually, when the truth came out.

Overall, I can't say no to a Sidney Bristol book especially her romantic suspense. The third person POV switches from character to characters so I can be the omniscient reader I love being. The descriptive narrative and the wonderfully complex characters is just icing on cake of a fantastic well paced exciting story.  

ARC REVIEW Stolen Redemption by Sidney Bristol

Texas SWAT #2, We are back in Ransom, TX with another thrilling adventure. This can be read as a stand alone reading the first book isn't necessary but it is pretty awesome, just sayin'. One thing I love is that Sidney writes the DFW area and not just Fort Worth and Dallas but several of the smaller cities in the area also, they need some book love too. I loved Trevor and Dina, such a pair, and so hot together. This is a third person POV but it switches focus between Trevor and Dina and occasionally the bad guys. I love Sidney's writing style, her characters are perfectly imperfect and her narrative description is fantastic.

Dina has been hiding from her past for the last ten years, snitching on your mafia parents to the FBI and getting them sent to prison will do that to a girl especially when her twin brother has a bounty out on her head. Trevor has white knight syndrome, yes it's an actual thing, it seems that all his past relationships were because the girl needed help. Help from an abusive situation or what not they seemed to target Trevor and he could never turn them away. When he meet Dina, who was calling herself Iris, in the bar they clicked and he enjoyed it because she wasn't some damsel in distress she didn't need him. But she left in the middle of the night and Trevor could not forget about her, the fact that Ransom is such a small town also meant he kept seeing her, six months he managed to avoid her, it seemed to be what she wanted. In a moment of weakness and loneliness Dina replied back to one of Trevor's texts and thus started their "relationship". It was only a matter of time before Dina's past caught up with her and now she doesn't know if Trevor is helping her because that what he does or if it's because he really cares.

Overall, really enjoyed this one, I practically enjoy them all but this was a good one. Sidney really gets you to the edge of your seat with action and suspense. This does fall close to erotica side of romance but the book is plot driven so to me it is but it not the main focus even if Trevor and Dina get pretty hot and heavy. I am really enjoying the small town of Ransom and am glad that The Love Barn is getting its own series, I'm assuming it going to be contemporary/rom-com type of series from the excerpt in the back of the book. I love all the men and women of Texas SWAT and I look forward to all their books, especially Casey.    

ARC REVIEW Restless Ink by Carrie Ann Ryan

Montgomery Ink: Colorado Springs #2, Oooooo the feels in this book. Thea was friends with both Molly and Dimitri before they married but after the divorce as much as she didn't want to pick sides she ended up siding with Molly, not like Molly really gave her a choice. But now that the divorce is over and has been for some time Dimitri wants his friend back it's bad enough his apartment doesn't let him keep his dog, Captain is staying with Molly until he can find a bigger place, most of his friends were Molly's friends in the first place and they all sided with her, but Thea was his friend and he wants that friendship back only this time when he is with her his feelings are more than just platonic.

Thea always knew what she wanted and she went out and did it, owning her own bakery is everything she hoped it would be but now she's the only single sibling and feeling like the fifth wheel and doubting whether or not focusing on just her career was wise. Now that she has one dream achieved another has quickly grown in its place but it is going to be hard work and once again places work before love life. Unless the guy in her life is completely supportive and sweet and gruff and a certain tattooed math teacher who use to be married to married to her best friend. Thea feels guilty for falling for Dimitri, but they know each other so well and she can't help her feelings or the regret the fantastic sex and Molly seems okay with it so what can be the problem?

Overall, another fantastic book from Carrie Ann Ryan. I loved Thea and Dimitri they are characters with plenty of dimension and flaws and the dog Captain such a sweet dog. It does fall close to the erotica side of romance but because it is story driven; the story mainly focus on their romance and the issues around it rather than the sex, I classify it more contemporary. It is beautifully written third person POV that switches focus between Thea and Dimitri with all the feels and heartache with some excitement and damn woman, Roxie and Carter! OMG, I can't not wait for their book. But I do have to admit Dimitri could never be my book boyfriend because I am Team Tony. 

ARC REVIEW Guards of Emerald Queen by J.S. Striker

Guards of Emerald Queen is the first boxed set for this series. It's about four supernatural siblings with an interesting curse. Constantly on the move until they reached the small unassuming town of Emerald Queen they are there for over a year before Ian Matthews the eldest decides it's the perfect place to finally settle the family. Ivy Leigh has plans now that she has worked off the debt her ex accumulated. She is free and clear to do what she wants and meeting the brooding computer programmer, Ian, and falling in love wasn't what she had in mind especially since he can't seem to makeup his mind about whether he wants her or not. One kiss was all it took and the curse came into effect now Ian has to decide whether he wants to let the curse take it course or fight it. Nick one of the youngest, one of the twins, has always been a ladies man but when he hires interior decorator Rose Newark he loses sight of everyone else. But just like with his brother one kiss and the curse activates but Nick knows nothing is going to keep him from Rose. Ara has kissed a lot of frogs to try and trick the curse into activating so she could fight it on her own terms but to no avail. Tom for the first time in a long time has free time on his hands and he seems to keep crossing paths with Ara saving her from one thing or another soon his protectiveness and attraction to Ara leads to a kiss and now Ara and Tom are fighting for their lives. Samuel has always been the different sibling only sharing one parent with the other three is what lead to this curse in the first place and it seems with every sibling the curse gets stronger. Natalie Hill is the only other person who knew about the paranormal side of Matthews siblings as their healer and friend she also seems to be the only one who can talk Samuel out of his dark moods. Samuel and Natalie finally give into the attraction between them only to have the curse show back up worse than ever and Samuel doesn't know if he can fight it. 

Overall, this was a great boxed set. the story was fantastic and the characters were all great. J.S. Striker has a way with words fitting in so much for each story it's fast paced and action packed.    

ARC REVIEW DC Universe Rebirth Batman: The Court of Owls Saga

BATMAN: 

The Court of Owls Saga

DC Essential Edition

by Scott Snyder

Story: Bruce Wayne has plans for Gotham. A plan for the betterment of the city new housing more jobs but it's not completely altruistic he has several hidey holes and caches planned throughout all the new buildings all over the city. Not everyone agrees with Bruce's plans for the city and now he has gained the attention of an ancient society, The Court of Owls, the court has sentenced Bruce Wayne to death but Bruce doesn't die so easily. Finding the court becomes an obsession for Batman just as the court becomes obsessed with him.

Art: I really enjoyed the art by Greg Capullo. It's dark and it's gritty which fits in with the story but it's also very pretty it's easy to tell what's what especially in action sequences. The covers alone standout in my mind they captured the feel of the story. Great lines, great colors, it's fantastic art to go with a great story

Review: Overall, I really enjoyed the story. I always found the Court of Owls storyline intriguing. I mean how can a secret society of the richest most influential people run Gotham and Bruce Wayne not know anything about it. Granted he knows something about it, he has always suspected they had something to do with the death of his parents but at the time he found something but nothing and they have been silent for years until Bruce's proposal to improve Gotham. I loved the progression of the story. The torment of Batman and how he was able to compartmentalize everything and focus on what needed to be done. I love it when Batman gets this dark and emotional. 

ARC REVIEW Immortal Danger by Cynthia Eden

Night Watch #0.5, This is a prequel and it is a full length novel. I have read one other PNR by Cynthia Eden and as much as I love her Romantic Suspense I wasn't crazy over it, this one however was really good. A re-release originally published in '09 this urban fantasy/PNR centers around former cop Maya Black and tall, dark, and mysterious Adam Brody. Third person POV switches between the two. Maya was a beat cop who knew all about vampires she killed them when she could even when she was attacked herself she managed to kill the vampire but all it took was one time and a little bit of vampire blood in her mouth and she was one of them. Only difference now is that she is a vampire who kills her own kind, she keeps them in line. Adam Brody needs Maya's help, his niece has been kidnapped taken to be given to the master vampire upon his return. Maya and Adam rush about LA trying to find clues as to where his niece might be held along the way they deal with demons, voodoo priestess, vampires, and shifters. Their search takes them to Las Vegas where things get a wee bit more complicated.

I really did enjoy this one it was exciting and action packed and the characters are fantastic. I definitely want more. Maya is one tough cookie and even though she claims she's not a hero she is constantly doing things that contradicts that. Adam is a little harder to get bead on, he all dark and mysterious and aside from the insane sexual chemistry between them it's hard to get a feel for Adam because he's so closed off and you have to wait for about half the book to figure out what he is, after that it's was easier to see Maya and Adam connecting on a deeper level. Overall, this was a great book and a nice start and introduction into the world of the Night Watch series.

ARC REVIEW DC Universe Rebirth Batman/Catwoman: The Wedding Album - The Deluxe Edition

Batman/Catwoman
The Wedding Album
The Deluxe Edition

by; Tom King

issues #24, 44 & 50

Story/Art: I think the story is pretty self-explanatory, they are getting married each is writing a letter to the other the artwork as you read the letters alternating between the two was fantastic. It's their history from their very first meeting artwork recreated by Mikel Janín and all the other times they met showcasing the artwork from a variety of artist throughout the years; like Frank Miller, Amanda Conner, Tim Sale, Rafael Albuquerque, Jim Lee, Scott Williams, David Finch, Jose Villarrubia, Alex Sinclair, Hi-Fi, Clay Mann, Joёlle Jones and a whole bunch more.

Review: Bittersweet. I have always loved the idea of Batman and Catwoman together (blame Michael Keaton and Michelle Pfeiffer). But I always knew no matter how much they said they love each other they could never be happy together. The Catwoman ending of Injustice had it right, they can play act at the happily ever after but ultimately Selena would get bored. She may act altruistic at times because she's not evil at heart but she's still a villain; she can never truly be a hero inside this timeline. BUT then again I prefer the Batman and Talia ill-fated love story, when it was actually a love story before someone went and screwed that up, so what do I know. Overall, I really enjoyed this the love letters and the combination of all the different artwork. For being as short as it is it is mainly visual.

ARC REVIEW Avoiding the Badge by Dorothy F. Shaw

Arizona K9 #1, First time reading Dorothy F. Shaw so I didn't quite know what to expect, I did expect more of the dog though, with the series name having K9 in it you would think the dog would be in it more, nope he stayed home most of the time and was more background than anything. That was the first disappointment with this book. The second disappointment was how predictable it was, as soon as you find out their hangups you know exactly what's going to happen. Admittedly you get that a lot with romance but the author at least makes it an enjoyable story, with great characters, unfortunately you don't get that with this one. It was just an okay story with ehhh characters. It wasn't horrible the BDSM part was nice and done well but it couldn't save the rest of the book.

Derek Hansen falls head over heels for veterinarian Rayna Michaels but she's not to keen on dating police officers. The sexual chemistry between them can't be denied and when Rayna finally gives in it's hot, heavy, and kinky. While they keep getting hotter and kinkier they get close and on both sides realize how deep they have gotten in this relationship but they are both hiding things from each other. When trusts are betrayed and secrets revealed it just may be the end of their kinky romance.

Overall, unless I knew the persons tastes ran this way I wouldn't recommend it. I couldn't connect with the characters, the story was so predictable, and I wish the dog was in it more and not just used as a plot device to get them together.   

ARC REVIEW Second Chance at Two Love Lane by Kieran Kramer

Two Love Lane #3, I enjoy books romances about actors, it's my high school theatre geek coming out. All Ella wanted to be growing up was a famous actress but when she got the chance to finally make her break she chose love over acting and then got her heart broken. Hank Rogers wanted nothing more than to prove his parents wrong and that he could become a famous actor and he did but at the cost of losing the love of his life. Hank never forgot Ella and he deeply regretting the way things ended but when the chance to make amends crosses his path he almost turned down the part. Now Hank and Ella are finally in the same city at the same time and as luck would have it staying in the same house.

Hank's cousin, Pammy, just moved to Charleston and introduced herself to Ella they struck up a fast friendship so when Ella's relatives from Italy kick her out of her own apartment she offers up her place. Unfortunately when Hank accepts the role in the new movie they are filming in Charleston Pammy offers him a room too. Ella is on the verge of walking out to find a new place to stay when Hank bribes her into stay buy saying there's a part for her in the movie. Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth Ella accepts now all she has to do it keep her distance and not fall back in love with Hank.

With the help of a wannabe matchmaker actress, whose basically the equivalent of Helen Mirren and Dame Judi Dench, Hank and Ella find themselves falling back in love but with their two seperate lives now can they fit each other into their lives or is Hank going to chose his career over her again. Overall, this was such a fun and enjoyable read that pulled at all the right heartstrings. Aside from her romance with Hank Ella has some family issues that come up that are really emotional and so she ends up not only struggling with her feeling for Hank but with her mother. I love the Nonnas! they were a great comic relief and Pammy was adorable. This series so far has been such great reading I really do hope this wasn't the last one and I want to find out what happened in Italy. 

ARC REVIEW Maybe For You by Nicole McLaughlin

Whiskey and Weddings #3, In the first book Alexa Parker lost her fiance, he died in a helicopter crash. Still active in the military she opts to continue with the original plan and go to Italy for her remaining year just like Nate and her planned instead of transfering closer. Even though such a big event happened in the first book this can be read as a standalone. Her year in Italy was a year of mourning and healing and trying to figure out what she was going to do with her life since Nate was no longer a part of it. Before she left her and Jake Cooperon, one of Stag Distillery's co-owners and one of her brother's best friends, became friends and during that time they managed to become very good friends texting back and forth with each other. Alex felt comfortable talking to Jake he listened when she just needed to sort out her emotions and just acted as her sounding board.

Jake was a bit of a ladies man, but ever since he got closer to Alex he found himself not as interested as he use to be. Yes, he found Alex attractive and he liked her but he also understood how much in love she was with Nate and is willing to be the friend she needs him to be. After her year in Italy Alex comes back home a civilian and with a job prospect of working in the CIA with several months before she needs to report to duty with the CIA she decides to work with her brother at Stag Distillery. In the meantime her and Jake keep getting closer and closer and when the opportunity comes up to travel with Jake on a promotional tour their friendship turns into something more. Jake realizes he's full and ready to pursue a relationship with her, Alex is still coming to terms with what she wants out of life and if she can even let herself love again. Fate has a funny way of working things out and making you look at things from a different perspective.

Overall, this was a real emotional book. Alex deals with quite a bit and Jake is just as supportive as ever. I did enjoy this one more than the last book but JT was kind of an idiot. Jake and Alex are great characters with plenty of depth and what they go through really pulls on the heart strings. It was nicely written story with a good narrative and characters you can connect with on an emotional level.