Friday, May 23, 2014

Review: Lovelace (2013)

Cover Source: IMDB,com

Title: Lovelace
Year: 2013
Directors: Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman
Writers: Andy Bellin
Main Cast: Amanda Seyfried, James Franco, Peter Sarsgaard.
Version Reviewied: Netflix Streaming

IMDB.com Summary:
The story of Linda Lovelace, who is used and abused by the porn industry at the behest of her coercive husband, before taking control of her life.







I've been wanting to see this movie since I first head about it. I was intrigued and curious about the story and the woman, Linda Lovelace. I was also attracted to the movie because of Amanda Seyfried.  I've loved every movie that I've seen her in so far and was sure that this would be no less pleasing.

I don't doubt Linda's story at all, yet I couldn't help but compare it to Tina Turner's life. True stories like this just break my heart but also remind me that even though these women were in horrible situations, they were able to overcome them and rise to something greater.

I really enjoyed Lovelace and would definitely watch it again. I plan on telling my husband about it as soon as I can. I can't wait to read Ordeal, Linda's autobiography.



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Thursday, May 22, 2014

Review: The Iron King by Julie Kagawa


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Cover Source: GoodReads.com

Title: The Iron King
Author: Julie Kagawa
Series: The Iron Fey #1
Version Reviewed: Finished, Paperback.
Website: www.juliekagawa.com
*I borrow this book from a friend.

GoodReads Summary:
Meghan Chase has a secret destiny; one she could never have imagined.
Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school or at home.
When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.
But she could never have guessed the truth - that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil, no faery creature dare face; and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.
So this book (series) had been on my list for quite a while. Not long after I became a part of the book blog community, I kept noticing that one ARC was definitely making it's rounds; The Iron Knight. I immediately became interested in the series and when one of my friends joined me in book blogging, I scavenged her book collection and realized she had the entire series. My husband read it, but it sat on my shelf for months and I never got to them. When I got the chance to read a few books that were not requested by the author and/or publisher, I made this one of them.

I'll be honest, there's so much hype about this series that I found myself a a little disappointed with The Iron King. Don't get me wrong, it was a great book, unique story line, and very well written, but it just didn't seem to hook me like it did everyone else. I plan on reading the rest of the books in the series because I'm very curious as to the events that will unfold and what exactly is going to happen to and between Meghan, Ash, and Puck.

Favorite Character: Ash.
Rating: 4 Stars.
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Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Release Day Blitz: Soul Deep by Rose Morgan


NEW RELEASE!


Soul Deep
After waiting for what seems like forever, Soul Deep is making its way out into the world. 



Excerpt from Chapter Thirteen

“She was too!” my mom insisted.
My dad shook his head.  “I think the treatment made you hallucinate.  Whitney is gone, she wasn’t here.”
My mom folded her arms.  “You have no faith.  She was here, in this very room.  I hugged her and told her I loved her.”
“Are they still arguing over you?” Brother Hendricks said as he walked into the room, chuckling.
I giggled.  “Yeah, it’s been almost an hour.  She’s not giving in.  And she already set up a meeting with some missionaries.  They’re coming to the hospital to see her.”
“That’s great news,” he said as he perched on the ledge of the window seat next to me.
I took in a deep sigh of relief.  For the moment, everything was okay.  “It is.  I think things are going to get better.  She’s going to fight and kick cancer’s butt.”
He laughed.
I cocked my head.  “What?”
“Nothing.”
I rolled my eyes.  “So, when does Trisha come back on shift?”
“Tonight.”  His eyes sparkled as he spoke.  “I double checked the schedule.”
“How many times did you double check it?”  I bumped shoulders with him.
“What, you think you know me or something?” He winked.  “Five or six times.”
Mmmhum.
Dave knocked on the door as he slipped into the room quietly.  His face lit up when he saw my mom.  “Well, for someone taking their fourth dose of chemo you sure are in a good mood.”
My dad threw his arms in the air.  “She’s claiming that she saw Whitney.  That’s why.”  He rose from his seat and paced.  “You talk to her, tell her it’s the medicine.”
Dave shook his head.  “No.  You know, that even in my business where I try to save lives, even Whitney’s, I know there is an afterlife.  I think the possibility of them being able to cross over to be with us for short periods of time is high. If I let myself think that they couldn’t live on after their death, then I couldn’t live with myself.  So many people die and the guilt would consume me. I’m on Ginger’s side.  I think it’s possible she saw her.  And, let’s not forget that she is very sick and when people get that close to death, they can see things we can’t.”
My dad threw his head back in disgust.  “You two are exhausting.  I’m going to get a drink.  The cafeteria has to have something other than this stuff they have up here.”
I laughed as he walked out.
Dave sat in the chair next to the bed where my dad was.  “This has been a crazy month.  First Whitney, now you. I don’t know what I’m going to do about Zane.  I used to go to my mom for advice, but even she’s gone.”  He ran a hand through his hair.
My mom smiled.  “Zane is depressed.  He loved Whitney so much that having her gone is almost unbearable.  I know.”
He hung his head.  “Yes, I get that.  They were perfect for each other.  When you think of soul mates, you think of them.  But, looking for her at the bottom of a bottle isn’t good for him, or the girls.”
I stepped quietly over to listen more intently.  Hearing Zane’s name made my heart go pitter-patter and I yearned to be with him.  Dave was right, I knew the moment I met Zane that he was the one.  He was my soul mate.  Even though I wasn’t with him, I still felt that. We were still meant to be together for eternity. I just had to get him to see that was possible.
My mom reached out and took his hand.  He glanced up with a sad smile.
“You know, while I saw Whitney she talked to me about some things.  I’m not sure how it works, but maybe after I figure it all out, I can help him, too.”
He covered their joined hands with his other one and stared at them.  “What if it’s too late by then?”
She sat up straighter.  “Then you, Uncle Dave, better make sure you have princess wall décor, because those girls will need you.”
My chest tightened around my heart, making it impossible to beat.  I needed to find Zane.  I needed to help my girls.  I threw my head back and groaned.  Why was dying so hard?
“Want me to come?” Brother Hendricks asked.
“How’d you know that I was going anywhere?”
He chuckled.  “Because I know you, and you can’t leave anyone alone; not when they need you.”
I nodded.  “Yeah, it would be nice if you came.  I almost wish Sarah and Brother Furtz were here, too.”
“We’ll be back there before you know it.”
“I know, it’s just strange because Sarah’s been there for me since I died, so going through this without her makes me feel almost empty.  Not that you aren’t great.”
He smiled.  “No, I get it. Brother Furtz is amazing and has helped me in so many ways.”
I met him at the door.  “I guess it’s time to spread our wings and fly.”
He raised a brow.  “Hey, speaking of wings.”
“Yeah?”
“Are we angels, or are we ghosts?”
I laughed.  “I don’t think we are either, but if I had to choose one, I think ghosts.”  Glancing at my mom and Dave one more time, I left the room for the first time since entering it.
Brother Hendricks gave me a sideways glance.  “So ghosts?”
I shrugged.  “Well, we’re here walking in the halls of a hospital, yet no one can see us.  Um, hello, that is creepy.  I don’t care who you are.”
A man in a white suit came around the corner.  He tipped his head our way as he passed.  I stopped and turned to see him enter the room with the old man.
“Yeah.  I’m definitely going with ghosts.”









Blurb

Following her violent death, Whitney assumed she’d go to Heaven, since good people don’t go to Hell. Or do they? Trapped in Spirit Prison and forced to face the man who killed her, Whitney realizes just how far from Heaven she truly is.

The Dark Ones, intent on having every soul share the darkness with them, gives Whitney an ultimatum that will determine the fate of her loved ones—both alive and dead. Tempted on all sides and crippled with guilt, she must learn to have faith for a chance at having an eternity in Heaven, or she will forever be lost in an inescapable Hell.


Soul Deep is a full length LDS Fiction novel
Buy it today on available online stores



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Excerpt & Giveaway: Tryst by Cambria Hebert


Sometimes all a girl needs is a little fling…

Talie Ronson needs a vacation.

From life. 

Since she caught her cheating, loser husband in bed with his assistant, her life has been on a steady spiral—right into hell. Her car’s a junker, her job sucks, and her perfect, gorgeous sister likes to brag about her wonderful life every time they “do” lunch. 

In an effort to salvage what’s left of her life and her sanity, she takes the advice of her kooky best friend and takes off to Topsail Island. A week at the beach, alone, is exactly what she needs to recharge, regroup, and relax. 

Only, her alone time is about to get derailed. 

Gavin Palmer’s favorite activity is walking around in his boxers and eating junk food. He and his neighbors have an understanding. They stay out of his business and he stays out of theirs. He lives at the beach, not for vacation, but for isolation. He’s had enough of people to last him a lifetime. 


Gavin’s isolation is interrupted when his normally quiet neighbor starts disturbing his peace. He stomps across the sand to give the guy a piece of his mind… only it isn’t a guy. 

It’s Talie. 

She’d maddening, nosy, and talks too much. 

But she’s hot and her bedroom eyes have him thinking maybe he’s had enough solitude. Maybe a week of company is exactly what he needs. 

Maybe what they both need is a no-strings-attached tryst.







Just as the road started to gradually lift and lead onto the bridge my car made a very loud clunking sound and then groaned like it was going to come apart at any second. 

Even though my foot was pressed on the gas the car slowed considerably, idling along like a turtle who had no where it needed to be. “Come on!” I yelled at the dashboard as I gave the steering wheel a smack. 

Suddenly the wheel seemed extremely hard to steer. What usually was an easy, effortless task now seemed like something that required large muscles.

Did I mention I was lacking in the muscle department?

I applied the brakes and fought the Jetta to the side of the road. I wasn’t about to try and make it over the bridge like this. My luck I would plunge over the side and get eaten by a shark when I hit the water. 

The loud rattling sounds the stupid car made drowned out the cadence of the ocean waves and caused some of the peace I was found on my way here to disappear. 

After several long moments of just sitting there, leaning my forehead on the steering wheel and asking God why I was cursed I turned off the engine. The car stuttered and then died. I knew it wasn’t going to turn back on.

“And the hits just keep on coming,” I said out loud.

I opened the car door, letting it open so that the light would stay on for a few moments and bent down to look for the hood release latch. After I found it and popped the hood I stood there staring down in the dark at the insides of a car I couldn’t see. 

Then I remembered my phone. The flashlight app was handy in moments like this. Even with the engine and innards of the car visible I had no clue what was wrong with it. 

“I am so getting a new car,” I sighed. I called up the number to Triple A in my phone (I might not know how to fix cars but I knew how to call people who did) and wondered how long it would take them to send a tow. 

A pair of headlights appeared traveling in my direction. I raced around the side of the car and leapt into the driver’s seat, slamming the door behind me. After the way this week was going I would not be surprised at all if the person behind the wheel of that car was a serial killer out looking for his next victim.

The car slowed and pulled directly behind my car. 

See? Total serial killer.

I heard the slam of the door and watched as a large dark figure approached. I could make out nothing because his headlights turned him into nothing but a dark shadow.

The only thing I knew for sure was that it was a man. Unless of course it was a woman. Judging from the sheer size of the black shape if it was a then she would have to be a professional body builder.

Seconds later a darkened face appeared at my window. 

“Car trouble?” he rumbled. His voice was deep and his southern accent was strong.

I screamed.

I forgot my window was down! 

I jammed the key back into the ignition and turned the engine over. It made a puny, pathetic sound and stalled out. The windows were electric. I couldn’t get it up if the car wouldn’t start. 

“Please don’t kill me!” I burst out.

A laugh floated through the night air and wrapped around my body. He put one of his hands on the door, so that it rested where the window should be, his fingers falling down the inside of the door. 

I snatched the keys out of the ignition and swung down to stab the fleshy part of the back of his hand. Seconds before I made him bleed he jerked away.

“I’m not going to murder you!” he shouted.

“Don’t you yell at me!” I retorted.

“You tried to stab me!”

“You tried to kill me!”

“I stopped to see if you needed help. You know, because your junker car here stopped working.”

“How dare you call it a junker.” I fumed. My car definitely was a junker but I wasn’t about to let him insult me. I’d had enough of men to last me a lifetime.

“Sweetheart, I call it like I see it.” he drawled.

Damned if I didn’t get goose bumps. His voice was like the velvet sky I was admiring only moments ago. “Well, okay, it’s a piece of crap.” I allowed. Obviously his southern accent was making me stupid.

“I’m just going to take a look,” he said. Before I could tell him no he was walking around the front of my car. The glow of his headlights gave me a glimpse of the way his hips rotated when he walked. 

He had long legs, the kind that owned the ground whenever he took a step. He was tall… he had to be at least six two. Other than that I couldn’t make out anything else about him. He was wearing a baseball hat and it was pulled down low, shading all of his face from the little light out here.

A light clicked on up front (he must have the same app as me) and I saw him reaching down into the engine. The sound of something being pulled out of the car had me leaping out of my seat and rushing around the front.

“What the hell are you doing!” I demanded horrified as he pulled out this long black thing. “Is that a snake?” I shrieked. Had I somehow run over that giant thing and it got caught in my engine?

He paused and looked up at me. “A snake?” he asked like he couldn’t understand what I was saying. Then he shook his head. “It’s the drive belt,” he muttered, going back to pulling it out. 

“Well if it’s supposed to be in there why are you pulling it out?”

“This way when I go to kill you, I know you won’t be able to get away.”




Cambria Hebert is the author of the young adult paranormal Heven and Hell series, the new adult Death Escorts series, and the new adult Take it Off series. She loves a caramel latte, hates math and is afraid of chickens (yes, chickens). She went to college for a bachelor’s degree, couldn’t pick a major, and ended up with a degree in cosmetology. So rest assured her characters will always have good hair. She currently lives in North Carolina with her husband and children (both human and furry) where she is plotting her next book. You can find out more about Cambria and her work by visiting http://www.cambriahebert.com








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