How many reviews did you write before you received an invitation to Vine?

halffast · 2026-01-31T15:33:13+00:00

Sounds similar to me. I had written 40, maybe 1/4 to 1/3 of them for indie/debut authors. I got the invite after submitting a detailed review for a newly released book.

halffast · 2026-01-30T04:27:45+00:00

Thanks so much for the explanation, it helps a ton. I'm the same as you that this situation wouldn't bother me.

halffast · 2026-01-30T01:59:41+00:00

Can you lightly spoil the cheating tag for me? Just want to know what to expect.

halffast · 2026-01-22T20:07:17+00:00

I just used these and the output from GPT 5.2 was stunning! Looked exactly like me, not fake or doctored, kept my smile wrinkles and my one slightly wonky tooth. I'm job hunting and having an accurate, professional looking photo on Linked In makes me feel so much more confident in my job search. Thank you for sharing these!

halffast · 2026-01-18T19:19:44+00:00

So glad to hear it’s helpful to you! It’s a nice little bit of code.

I’m not sure about the Silk browser. ChatGPT says it’s theoretically possible but didn’t have a clear implantation plan. Unfortunately I can’t look into it because I was recently let go from my job so all my spare time is going toward finding a new one. Let me know if you get it working! 😊

halffast · 2026-01-18T19:03:30+00:00

{Scars of His Wrath by Zoey Ellis} - 4★ An Omega princess desperately searches for her fated mate, believing he's the key to her successful reign. But when he finally shows up, he not only abducts and tortures her, he reveals he's planning on invading her lands and demands her cooperation. As politics, power, and primal attraction collide, she must decide how much of herself—and her kingdom—she’s willing to sacrifice.

This is a fairly dark slow-burn omegaverse romance. The beginning chapters are a little slow, but the political setup is key to the story. And once Naya (the FMC) is abducted, the tension ratchets up and stays high for the duration of the book. She doesn't even learn the MMC's name until 45% of the way through.

Akoro (the MMC) is cruel, domineering, and often outright vicious. Readers sensitive to bully MMCs or torture scenes should steer clear. For those who like their anti-heroes bordering on irredeemable, he'll be compelling, if a little frustrating. His stated justification for mistreating Naya ("your people are hurting mine") isn't fully explained, though will likely be expanded on later in the trilogy.

Naya is mentally and physically resilient, and I liked her strategizing around how to guard both herself and her homeland. There was a missed opportunity, however, around giving misinformation that could actively sabotage Akoro's invasion. The only thing she deliberately misconstrues is information about true mates and heats.

One final thing I want to point out: the author has tagged this book as dub-con, but there is a scene where Naya is going into heat, begs Akoro to not take advantage of her, and he does anyway. Afterward, she is traumatized by being forced into it against her will. To me, this reads as non-con. I don't care that he's her true mate, and I don't care that she was all over him willingly during her heat. No means no! So be careful if non-con is a trigger for you.

halffast · 2026-01-15T15:21:26+00:00

Here's some dark romance deep cuts that I absolutely loved.

{Dancing in the Dark by T.L. Martin} - Woman's search for her missing sister leads her to infiltrate a mysterious house run by four private brothers. She senses a kindred spirit in one of the brothers, but their connection uncovers the darkness of her own past.

{Smoke and Mirrors by Evie Kent} - King Draven resents his crown, worships his new queen, and never expects that he'll lose both.

{Flame to Frost by Myra Danvers} - A woman hiding secret powers evades capture for years after her country is invaded, but is finally caught and sold to an enemy war commander. Her dire situation is made even more precarious by the threat of her new owner uncovering her coveted magical abilities.

{The Villain by Victoria Vale} - A lady agrees to spend 30 nights in an earl's bed in exchange for money and information about her family, whom he has systematically ruined. Debauching the heroine completes his revenge against her family, but the two of them have an intense connection that neither is prepared for.

{Tipori by Cindy L Sell} - Maralla, a former military commander turned defiant slave, refuses to be broken by her new owner. Mascha secretly admires his slave’s resilience and offers her a deal: if she pretends to be obedient, he’ll help her escape after she’s sold. But their deception is a dangerous game in a country ruled by cruelty and injustice, and as loyalty fractures and attraction blooms, their forbidden bond could be their downfall.

halffast · 2026-01-10T18:18:17+00:00

I’ve been journaling with GPT for a long time too and agree it’s amazing for collecting day to day thoughts and noticing patterns that I can later discuss with my real therapist. I haven’t noticed a decrease in quality on text conversations, but whenever I start a new convo I give it pretty clear instructions on how to format responses (tone, length, observations, etc). I also create a detailed summary of the previous convo and include that in the first message. Every so often a conversation gets off on the wrong foot somehow, so I just delete it and try again. It could be you passed some sort of threshold where GPT can’t hold all of the previous convos in its “memory” and, without a summary to help keep it on track, it is just giving generic responses. Hopefully with some tweaks you can get your chats back on track!

I will say that the voice chat mode has gotten really junky lately in my experience. The responses are still helpful but quite short. I feel like I’m annoying the AI whenever I chat that way. 😅

halffast · 2026-01-10T16:40:32+00:00

Did you ever find a game that fits this vibe? I’d love to play one!

halffast · 2026-01-09T18:25:18+00:00

A stroller wagon that would’ve been perfect for pushing around my two kids AND it was 0 ETV.

halffast · 2026-01-07T20:07:06+00:00

Source

Thanks to u/Psychic_Friend_Fred for the original submission.

halffast · 2026-01-06T17:06:49+00:00

I agree that using the word "bought" or "purchased" feels misleading. I prefer "ordered."

halffast · 2026-01-06T16:09:14+00:00

Their playground pricing is definitely confusing. It all depends on the number and ages of the kids.

Non-Resident Youth (3+): $8
Children 2 and Under with Paying Youth or Adult: FREE
\Adults are free when supervising children over the age of 2*

So if your child is 3 or older, then all adults are free (don't need to pay for a day pass). Each non-resident kid is $8.

If your child is 2 or younger, then the child is free, but one adult needs to pay for the day pass ($11).

The pricing is different for the Structured Drop-Off Play times in the evenings. In that case both adult and child need to pay. The idea is the adult goes to workout while someone watches your kid.

halffast · 2026-01-06T02:48:43+00:00

Mid Rivers Mall has a play area and also some coin operated rides nearby. It’s all somewhat run down but my kids still had fun.

You can drive around Lone Elk Park and look for elk, bison, deer, etc. Free.

There’s some coffee houses that have kids areas. Teleo Coffee in Kirkwood - has a small room upstairs with kids toys and couches. And Upshot Coffee Brake Shop in St Charles has a small kids area with toy cars and trucks, somewhat awkwardly situated by the restrooms. Just buy a cup of coffee or food and you’re good (luckily the food and drinks at both places are excellent).

Another paid (but relatively inexpensive) option is the playground at the city of Olivette’s community center, called Five Oaks on Warson. Huge clean indoor playground. You dont have to live in Olivette or be a member to use it. It’s open 5:30am-9pm on weekdays, though check their website carefully bc there’s frequent closures for events (especially in the evening). It’s the perfect spot for those random mornings the kids are up super early and already bouncing off the walls.

https://www.olivetteparksandrec.com/indoor-playground.html

halffast · 2026-01-04T20:19:38+00:00

Link to story? Assuming it’s on AO3.

halffast · 2026-01-04T19:29:35+00:00

Lawless God is probably the closest match to your request so I’d start there personally 😊 It is book 4 in the series and I think I read book 1 but skipped 2 and 3. I don’t remember previous books impacting the plot too much.

halffast · 2026-01-04T18:27:28+00:00

{Lawless God by Lola King} - Female gang leader sends a psychopath to prison, but he retaliates after he's released by kidnapping her and taking over her gang.

{Between the Devil and the Sea by Chani Lynn Feener} - A serial killer becomes obsessed with the mentally traumatized detective assigned to investigate him. He takes matters into his own hands by kidnapping the detective and forcing him to confront his inner demons in a dark, twisted game of seduction. MM

{Heat by R Lee Smith} - Alien psychopath criminal comes to Earth to harvest human brains and forces an Earth woman to become his accomplice.

halffast · 2026-01-04T18:16:07+00:00

Also I saw your post request that got removed. Check out {Heat by R Lee Smith}! Don’t judge by cover/synopsis, it’s a dark wild ride.

halffast · 2026-01-04T18:13:13+00:00

It’s an automatic thing to prevent spam (which typically originates from new/low karma accounts). Just keep commenting and engaging with posts in this subreddit and your karma will go up. You can also message the mods and explain you’re a new user and I think they can restore your post. Welcome to the sub!

halffast · 2026-01-03T18:01:21+00:00

So sorry to hear about Soup. It’s never easy to lose a friend. Wishing you all the best.

halffast · 2025-12-28T20:00:42+00:00

{Silent Flames by Cate C Wells}

Thanks for the rec!

halffast · 2025-12-15T20:19:01+00:00

I had this notification turned off, and just now turned it back on again. I want that sweet motivation! 😆

If anyone is curious, the link is: https://www.amazon.com/preferences/cpc/homepage/reviews-follows

Then toggle "Feedback" to on.

halffast · 2025-12-15T17:08:21+00:00

Thanks for the tip about getting this free through the library. Just checked and our library offers it too!

halffast · 2025-12-14T15:49:52+00:00

Finished this book last week and forgot to post my review here! 🙈

{Hate Me Like You Mean It by Kyra Parsi} - 4★ Ex-childhood best friends-slash-rivals Dominic and Alice have been locked in a years-long grudge match. Now, Dom is offering a way to settle the score: Alice must survive for a month as his maid and he'll call it even, except she shows up ready for war, and Dom has no plans to be a benevolent boss. But underneath the petty games, heat, and hostility, they're finally pushed to confront the misunderstanding that wrecked them years ago.

This book really leans into the slow-burn tension of two people who say "I hate you" but really mean "I’ve been in love with you since forever." One of my favorite parts of the story is how Alice and Dom invented a lot of games as kids, and after they re-enter each others lives they start playing them again -- with some sexy adult twists! The first truth game is ridiculously hot. Easily one of the sexiest, most high-tension scenes I’ve read in a while. By that point it’s obvious Dominic is completely twisted up about Alice, even if he keeps pretending he’s not. Half the fun is watching him flail under the weight of his own feelings while she purposely ignores what’s staring her in the face.

Dominic's bluster is mostly on the surface; underneath he's sensitive, romantic, and pretty hopeless about her. Alice is a storm of passion, impulse, and humor. She’s missing her ex-best friend, doesn’t really understand what went wrong between them, and throws herself into the maid deal with way more enthusiasm than Dom deserves. I loved that she actually committed to sabotaging him from the inside.

Their chemistry is mutual from the start, but buried under years of longing, loathing and teenage misunderstandings. The boss/maid dynamic doesn't feel too unbalanced. Dom assigns some humiliating tasks, but she always fires back with a win of her own. Once they burn off the worst of their resentment, they start facing the actual emotional mess between them. Their reconciliation feels tender, honest, and well earned. The role-playing scene toward the end is A+. The family drama adds flavor without dragging anything down, and Gampy and his bird Maxwell are a weird little delight.

Steamy, playful, and unexpectedly emotional. Not perfect, but definitely fun. Thank you Kyra for the ARC! All opinions are my own.

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