Search
Search results
A Daddy for Christmas: Ever
8.0
Rate It
Book
From an embarrassing Halloween costume to an unexpected very large early Christmas present, can two...
Contemporary MM Seasonal Romance Age Play
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2165 KP) rated Christmas Cocoa and a Corpse in Books
Nov 8, 2022
Murder Leaves Behind Spilled Cocoa
It’s the week before Christmas, and business is booming at Robbie’s restaurant, Pans ‘N Pancakes. However, not everyone is in a festive mood. Local businessman Jed Greenburg is found dead on the sidewalk while he was out walking a Chocolate lab puppy, the spilled contents of a mug of Robbie’s special hot chocolate blend next to him. What happened?
It’s no surprise to me that I enjoyed this novella. Several of the series regulars are away for the holiday, which actually works out very well since this is a novella. We are able to focus on the characters important to mystery. Robbie’s boyfriend’s family are actually key to the events as they unfold, and it was great to get to know them a little better. The mystery was strong, and I enjoyed watching it unfold. As always, the scenes in the restaurant made my mouth water, and I am now craving breakfast foods. Fortunately, the novella includes a couple of recipes, including a special hot chocolate recipe.
NOTE: This story is a novella, roughly 100 pages, and was originally part of the novella collection Christmas Cocoa Murder. If you have that book, there is no need to buy this ebook. If you haven’t read the story, now is the time to sit back and enjoy this Christmas mystery.
It’s no surprise to me that I enjoyed this novella. Several of the series regulars are away for the holiday, which actually works out very well since this is a novella. We are able to focus on the characters important to mystery. Robbie’s boyfriend’s family are actually key to the events as they unfold, and it was great to get to know them a little better. The mystery was strong, and I enjoyed watching it unfold. As always, the scenes in the restaurant made my mouth water, and I am now craving breakfast foods. Fortunately, the novella includes a couple of recipes, including a special hot chocolate recipe.
NOTE: This story is a novella, roughly 100 pages, and was originally part of the novella collection Christmas Cocoa Murder. If you have that book, there is no need to buy this ebook. If you haven’t read the story, now is the time to sit back and enjoy this Christmas mystery.
French Quarter Fright Night
9.0
Rate It
Book
The third in the fabulous cozy mystery series with a vintage flair from USA Today bestselling and...
Kodak Moments
Photo & Video and Productivity
App
Premium photo printing just got a lot smarter—the latest version of the KODAK MOMENTS App with...
MaryAnn (14 KP) rated Christmas Love Year Round (Kindred Lake #1) in Books
Mar 5, 2019
Cami Richardson is good at chasing away the men in her life: first Gavin Kinkaid, a former classmate she’d helped to bully, and later, her husband who left her widowed and a single mom. Now all she wants is to bring a smile back to her eight-year-old son. What she doesn’t expect is for Gavin to become her new neighbor.
Gavin wants to settle down after serving in the Air Force and mend the separation between him and his dad. What he didn’t count on is his changing feelings when he sees Cami as a kind woman instead of his former adversary.
When Cami’s son blindsides them both during the Christmas season, is their reunion at risk or will it grow stronger?
My Thoughts: A wonderful book just in time for the holidays! This book was an enjoyable read that is full of many lessons. This novel is not only about family, forgiveness and letting go, but also about bullying and what it can create. Bullying, name calling is something I believe we have all faced at one time in our lives. Beautifully written with a flowing storyline that keeps the reader interested.
The characters are interesting, down to earth and easy to relate to. This is an enjoyable romance novel with lessons to learn that the reader can read during the holiday season or any time of the year! I look forward to reading more from Elaine Stock.
Gavin wants to settle down after serving in the Air Force and mend the separation between him and his dad. What he didn’t count on is his changing feelings when he sees Cami as a kind woman instead of his former adversary.
When Cami’s son blindsides them both during the Christmas season, is their reunion at risk or will it grow stronger?
My Thoughts: A wonderful book just in time for the holidays! This book was an enjoyable read that is full of many lessons. This novel is not only about family, forgiveness and letting go, but also about bullying and what it can create. Bullying, name calling is something I believe we have all faced at one time in our lives. Beautifully written with a flowing storyline that keeps the reader interested.
The characters are interesting, down to earth and easy to relate to. This is an enjoyable romance novel with lessons to learn that the reader can read during the holiday season or any time of the year! I look forward to reading more from Elaine Stock.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Wonder Woman (2017) in Movies
Feb 10, 2018 (Updated Feb 10, 2018)
Would've liked to see the Invisible Plane. So to speak.
The world reacts with due amazement as a mysterious group of film-makers breaks into the offices of Warner Brothers and manages to produce a really good movie without Zack Snyder noticing. We can speculate all day about just how this happened, but my inclination personally is to not look a gift horse in the mouth and simply enjoy the best DC-based movie since Christopher Nolan parted company with Batman.
There's something very refreshing about the way laborious franchise concerns are firmly put on the back burner, and all the focus is kept on telling a good, strong story. The decision to change the setting to the First World War (apparently made to avoid comparisons with the first Captain America movie) proves to be a really smart one, giving the film its own tone and atmosphere, and the story is well-paced with great character development. It's now hard to imagine anyone other than Gal Gadot playing Wonder Woman, and even Chris Pine is not too annoying for once.
Watching Wonder Woman feels a bit like travelling back in time to a point when summer blockbusters were less calculated, grasping, and egregiously thick-headed. My advice to DC would be to give the security staff a nice long paid holiday and hope the makers of Wonder Woman come back and do it again.
There's something very refreshing about the way laborious franchise concerns are firmly put on the back burner, and all the focus is kept on telling a good, strong story. The decision to change the setting to the First World War (apparently made to avoid comparisons with the first Captain America movie) proves to be a really smart one, giving the film its own tone and atmosphere, and the story is well-paced with great character development. It's now hard to imagine anyone other than Gal Gadot playing Wonder Woman, and even Chris Pine is not too annoying for once.
Watching Wonder Woman feels a bit like travelling back in time to a point when summer blockbusters were less calculated, grasping, and egregiously thick-headed. My advice to DC would be to give the security staff a nice long paid holiday and hope the makers of Wonder Woman come back and do it again.
Fishing for Bodies
In order to help her family deal with their grief, Flavia, her two older sisters, and the family’s servant Dogger have been shipped off on holiday. They are supposed to be enjoying several peaceful days of boating, and Dogger has just happened to pick a location where a vicar poisoned three ladies in his congregation with the communion wine. While Flavia is thinking about this crime, she is letting her hand drift in the water and suddenly grabs something. Instead of the fish she thinks it might be, she discovers it’s a body. Was there foul play? Can Flavia figure out what happened to the corpse?
Series fans, like myself, will be anxious to get this book to find out what is happening to Flavia and her family. We get those updates quite early and then settle in for the latest mystery. The characters are in top form; I loved the develop on Dogger especially. The new characters are sharp, and Flavia charms as always. However, the mystery was poor. We get a strange portion of the book where Flavia is imaging something that happened a few years before. The ending is very weak with guesses instead of facts and deductions. And if Flavia is right on the motive, it is extremely poor. Fans will want to read this one, but definitely start with a stronger book if you are new to the series.
Series fans, like myself, will be anxious to get this book to find out what is happening to Flavia and her family. We get those updates quite early and then settle in for the latest mystery. The characters are in top form; I loved the develop on Dogger especially. The new characters are sharp, and Flavia charms as always. However, the mystery was poor. We get a strange portion of the book where Flavia is imaging something that happened a few years before. The ending is very weak with guesses instead of facts and deductions. And if Flavia is right on the motive, it is extremely poor. Fans will want to read this one, but definitely start with a stronger book if you are new to the series.
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms (1953) in Movies
May 31, 2018 (Updated May 31, 2018)
American A-bomb test has unexpected consequences when the blast defrosts a frozen, wholly fictional dinosaur; the creature swims off to devastate the nearest city for no particularly well-explained reason. A decent monster movie with a surprisingly gritty tone (by the standards of the genre, anyway); in terms of cultural impact, utterly eclipsed by an unofficial Japanese remake which came out the following year and has had 31 sequels to date.
There are various quirky and tropey bits that will raise a smile for the seasoned viewer of this sort of thing (e.g. the moment when the sweet old supporting character postpones their first holiday in thirty years in order to look for the monster: they might as well have him followed around by a robed man with a scythe), but on the whole it passes the time well enough. There is a sense in which most of the film is just filling time until the climax, when the Rhedosaurus runs amok in the streets of New York, but it does so fairly engagingly; also manages to find a half-decent explanation as to why they don't just bomb the monster to death (Devlin and Emmerich, please take note). Wheeled on for monster-extermination duties is a young Lee van Cleef, who seems slightly annoyed to be appearing in this kind of film. Great fun to watch when you're about seven; stands up pretty well for older viewers, too.
There are various quirky and tropey bits that will raise a smile for the seasoned viewer of this sort of thing (e.g. the moment when the sweet old supporting character postpones their first holiday in thirty years in order to look for the monster: they might as well have him followed around by a robed man with a scythe), but on the whole it passes the time well enough. There is a sense in which most of the film is just filling time until the climax, when the Rhedosaurus runs amok in the streets of New York, but it does so fairly engagingly; also manages to find a half-decent explanation as to why they don't just bomb the monster to death (Devlin and Emmerich, please take note). Wheeled on for monster-extermination duties is a young Lee van Cleef, who seems slightly annoyed to be appearing in this kind of film. Great fun to watch when you're about seven; stands up pretty well for older viewers, too.
Bong Mines Entertainment (15 KP) rated Cherry Chapstick - Single by Olivia Nelson in Music
Jun 18, 2019
Olivia Nelson is a 23-year-old singer-songwriter based in East London. Not too long ago, she released an attractive contemporary R&B tune, entitled, “Cherry Chapstick”, produced by Jayjay.
“Interaction, we all need that attraction. That holiday feeling, that wine in the evening like smooth R&B. Maybe, love’s what you need. Twenty-somethings, house party, conversations flowing. She’s finally noticed you. You gotta see this through, boy. ‘Cause when you look at her, you know he gets butterflies and all that. She could be the one. Better kiss her before she goes home.” – lyrics
‘Cherry Chapstick’ contains a relatable storyline, ear-welcoming vocals, and lush instrumentation flavored with contemporary R&B and neo-soul elements.
Also, the likable tune will be featured on Olivia Nelson’s upcoming EP, entitled, “Back To You”.
“‘Cherry Chapstick’ is a story about two people finding love at a party. It’s that exciting moment when they meet and the connection starts blossoming. It’s a feel-good story that people root for.” – Olivia Nelson
Olivia Nelson was raised on an eclectic diet of contemporary soul and Motown classics.
Her appreciation for vocal proficiency lead her to pursue singing from a young age. Now, she seeks collaborations with boundary-pushing writers and producers.
Also, her music has amassed over 17M streams online via Spotify, and her captivating live show solidifies her status as one of British R&B’s most exciting new talents.
https://www.bongminesentertainment.com/olivia-nelson-cherry-chapstick/
“Interaction, we all need that attraction. That holiday feeling, that wine in the evening like smooth R&B. Maybe, love’s what you need. Twenty-somethings, house party, conversations flowing. She’s finally noticed you. You gotta see this through, boy. ‘Cause when you look at her, you know he gets butterflies and all that. She could be the one. Better kiss her before she goes home.” – lyrics
‘Cherry Chapstick’ contains a relatable storyline, ear-welcoming vocals, and lush instrumentation flavored with contemporary R&B and neo-soul elements.
Also, the likable tune will be featured on Olivia Nelson’s upcoming EP, entitled, “Back To You”.
“‘Cherry Chapstick’ is a story about two people finding love at a party. It’s that exciting moment when they meet and the connection starts blossoming. It’s a feel-good story that people root for.” – Olivia Nelson
Olivia Nelson was raised on an eclectic diet of contemporary soul and Motown classics.
Her appreciation for vocal proficiency lead her to pursue singing from a young age. Now, she seeks collaborations with boundary-pushing writers and producers.
Also, her music has amassed over 17M streams online via Spotify, and her captivating live show solidifies her status as one of British R&B’s most exciting new talents.
https://www.bongminesentertainment.com/olivia-nelson-cherry-chapstick/
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2165 KP) rated Not a Creature was Stirring in Books
Jan 24, 2019
Who was Enough of a Scrooge to Leave the Dead Body in Merry's Motorhome?
Merry is hoping to turn her Christmas crafting business into a full-time job, and as part of that plan, she's purchased a motorhome from her ex-step-daughter. The hope is she can use it as a mobile crafting studio and a place to show her stuff at some of the more popular craft shows. She's trying it out at the Christmas Holiday Bazaar, one of her favorite events of the year. However, when she's unloading her products, she finds the dead body of her ex-husband in one of the storage compartments. How did his dead body get into the RV?
With as much as I love Christmas, this book was a lot of fun. We got lots of talk about everything Christmas, even comparing characters to famous fictional Christmas characters. I did feel the book needed another polish to flesh a few things out, and I found Merry's concern for her ex-husband's family a little hard to believe considering how short her marriage had been. On the other hand, I loved the majority of the characters, and Merry's relationships with her own kids was fabulous. The plot was good with many twists and turns. I figured out a couple of things early, but I was left guessing about the rest of it until the end.
With as much as I love Christmas, this book was a lot of fun. We got lots of talk about everything Christmas, even comparing characters to famous fictional Christmas characters. I did feel the book needed another polish to flesh a few things out, and I found Merry's concern for her ex-husband's family a little hard to believe considering how short her marriage had been. On the other hand, I loved the majority of the characters, and Merry's relationships with her own kids was fabulous. The plot was good with many twists and turns. I figured out a couple of things early, but I was left guessing about the rest of it until the end.