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Don't Clause a Scene (Love In Maplewood #10)
Don't Clause a Scene (Love In Maplewood #10)
Lee Blair | 2025 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
DON'T CLAUSE A SCENE is the tenth and final book in the Love in Maplewood series, and we finally get answers regarding the Red's vs. Sparky's rivalry that has gone on throughout the series.

Amos is the son of Sparky's, but won't inherit it as it will go to Sage, his older sibling. Mickey is the son of Red's and IS due to inherit, even though he doesn't want it. These two have been brought up to dislike each other, but when they meet in fancy dress for a Halloween party, they find out they have more in common than they thought they would.

This is the book that I both wanted to read and yet was dubious about. And, to be honest, I still feel the same way after I've read it. The relationship between Amos and Mickey was a delight to read, and I loved the time that was spent with them, but the whole rivalry thing? Man, that dragged! Mickey says at one point that he is tired of it all, and that's exactly how I felt. I've no idea how much longer this book is compared to others in the series, but it felt like it was a lot longer. The epilogue was cute though, I enjoyed that. I'm sure I will be in the minority regarding this, but that's how I feel.

A slow-paced story with both cuteness and spice.

** Same worded review will appear elsewhere. **

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jul 16, 2025
  
Evil dead rise (2023)
Evil dead rise (2023)
2023 | Horror
7
7.8 (4 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Usually when a film series is embarking on a fifth outing the challenges
of keeping things fresh and original yet being new and creative can be a
massive obstacle.

Horror series ranging from “Halloween” to “Friday the 13th”, “SAW”, and
“A Nightmare on Elm Street” all faced issues with moving the series along
yet trying to stay true to the original film that inspired them and in
every case; failing to fully capture what made the original film a hit.

“Evil Dead Rise” is not only the latest entry into the series but a bold
take on the cinematic series as it abandons the remote cabin setting of
the first two films and the reboot in favor of an urban setting.

The film does open in a remote lakeside locale before jumping a day
earlier to California where estranged sisters Ellie (Alyssa Sutherland)
and Beth (Lilly Sullivan) reunite. Beth has been working as a guitar
technician and bristles that her sister refers to her as a groupie.

Ellie is raising three children after their father left and informs her
sister that the building they are living in is scheduled to be demolished
so they will have to move soon which is a shock to Beth as she has learned
that she is pregnant and is trying to figure out her life all the while
seeing what she thought would be a source of stability for her upended.

The arrival of an earthquake allows access to a hidden area in the parking
garage of their building and since the locale was a former bank; the kids
soon find a hidden book and records which the only son Danny (Morgan
Davies) hopes he can sell despite his sister Bridget (Gabrielle Echols)
admonishing him constantly to leave it alone and return it to where it was
found.

The book turns out to be a Necronomicon or “Book of the Dead” and as fans
of the series know; nothing good ever comes from one and thanks to playing
old records left by a Priest describing his thoughts on the book; a
summoning incantation is read and this causes Ellie to become possessed
and unleash grotesque carnage and terror on her family.

What follows is a gory and at times intense game of cat and mouse
punctuated by moments of levity as the demonic infestation knows no end.

The film has the over-the top- gore that is expected of the series and the
makeup and effects are very effective. Writer?Director Lee Cronin has done
a great job capturing the tone of the series while moving it forward as he
cleverly incorporates lines and nods to the series without making them
seem forced.

Some may find the excess of blood too much but the series has always been
known for taking things to the extreme as the blend of horror and comedic
parody is what made the original film such a success.

In the end “Evil Dead Rise” does enough to keep fans of the series happy
and hopefully we will be seeing a new entry in the series in the future.

3.5 stars out of 5
  
My Son, the Vampire (1952)
My Son, the Vampire (1952)
1952 | Classics, Comedy, Horror
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Mother Riley Meets Bela Lugosi
My Son, the Vampire as known as Mother Riley Meets The Vampire as known as Vampire Over London is a good movie.

The plot: Irish washerwoman Old Mother Riley (Arthur Lucan) foils a would-be vampire (Bela Lugosi) and his misguided robot.

This was the final film of the Old Mother Riley film series, and did not feature Lucan's ex-wife and business partner Kitty McShane, whom he had divorced in 1951.

In 1963, a recut American version called My Son, the Vampire was released, featuring an introductory segment with a song by American comedian Allan Sherman.

On the suggestion of producer Richard Gordon, Bela Lugosi had travelled to the UK to appear in a stage play of Dracula, which failed. He needed money to return to the US. Gordon persuaded fellow producer George Minter to use Lugosi in a movie in London.

Lugosi was paid $5,000 for his role. The plot was taken from Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.

Its a funny horror comedy.
  
Y is for Yesterday (Kinsey Millhone, #25)
Y is for Yesterday (Kinsey Millhone, #25)
Sue Grafton | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry, Mystery
5
7.9 (7 Ratings)
Book Rating
Yesterday, I Finished the Alphabet
It is September of 1989, and PI Kinsey Millhone is hired by a family in a difficult situation. 10 years ago, their son made an explicit tape. He’s just been released from prison, and now the tape has resurfaced. Someone is threatening to give the tape to the authorities if the family doesn’t pay up, and they want Kinsey to find out who it is. Meanwhile, Kinsey is dealing with the aftermath of the attack she recently suffered. Things only heat up when she suspects her attacker might be back in the area.

There is plenty happening here with four different storylines weaving in and out of each other. Still, I did feel the flashbacks for the main mystery slowed things down. The rest of the stories feature continuing stories and characters from earlier books in the series, and I especially liked seeing one of them come back since it gave much needed closure to the previous book in the series. As always, I liked seeing Kinsey again, and we see plenty of regulars. This is the final book in the series, and part of me is sad because I’d love to know how the author would have ended things. On the other hand, this book ends without any major cliffhangers and allows us to imagine Kinsey’s life moving forward as we want it to. I wish we could have gotten a feel for what was on the tape without going into all the detail we got, especially the second time around. There’s a dose of foul language as well I definitely recommend this for series fans even if it isn’t one of the stronger books in the series.
  
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David McK (3600 KP) rated The Day After Tomorrow (2004) in Movies

Nov 20, 2019 (Updated Aug 3, 2025)  
The Day After Tomorrow (2004)
The Day After Tomorrow (2004)
2004 | Action, Drama, Mystery
Roland Emmerich sure likes his disaster movies.

This is his 2014 disaster movie that, taking climate change as it's starting point, has entered the popular vernacular - "it's like the day after tomorrow out there" - and, until the movie 2012 came along (I'm typing this in 2019) also must have held the record for portraying natural disaster on the big screen.

The main focus of this one is on both Jake Gylenhall and Dennis Quaid, with the former becoming trapped in New York when a series of natural disasters leads to a new ice-age leading to the latter (who, natch, is an experienced climatologist) to trek has way across the frozen North America to rescue his son.