I love being a wife and Mom. So Cali transplant, Brooklyn N.Y. Born and bred. In this body is a creative being. I scrapbook, cook, and I write. Imagine that. I love to read and just devour books. These are things that just free me.
SPOILERS ladies so don't read if ya don't wanna know.
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This movie is being sold on all the talk shows and in the trailers as a fun movie. Well it takes a dark turn that I wasn't expecting and knocked the wind outta my sails. In the commercials it looks like they're this fun-loving bunch of guys, working together and hanging out when not at work. Channing is trying to impress Alex Pettyfers sister, while grooming Alex, aka "The Kid" to take his place in the strip club so he can move onto building his own custom furniture biz. Well that ain't it. One minute all is well and the next McConhaughey is this slimy backstabber, Alex is selling drugs, and Channing is left in the cold.
Oh and they have Joe Manganiello making the rounds like he is a frontrunner in the movie, and he is a background dude like Bomer, Rodriguez, and someone who I thought was Mickey Roarke's twin bro(at least in t his movie) Kevin Nash. So not fair! Probably trying to capitalize on his True Blood fame. He did come out looking like an Oscar statue in one quick, and I mean quick dance scene. Boy they wouldn't let him steal a second from Channing.
I know I know, sour grapes again, but I was soooo looking forward to a light fun movie. I went with my daughters and we still had a fun girls night out. My hubs kept telling my daughter Victoria who was putting her make-up on in the kitchen "They aren't gonna be there Vic, no Magic Mike stars." I was cracking up.
Professor Gabriel Emerson has embarked on a passionate, yet clandestine affair with his former student, Julia Mitchell. Sequestered on a romantic holiday in Italy, he tutors her in the sensual delights of the body and the raptures of sex. But when they return, their happiness is threatened by conspiring students, academic politics, and a jealous ex-lover. When Gabriel is confronted by the university administration, will he succumb to Dante’s fate? Or will he fight to keep Julia, his Beatrice, forever?
*****
Tell me, who is Sylvain Reynard? This mysterious man has a way with words that consume you. Is he a man, I can't find any pics anywhere? He rights such beautiful love scenes, I wonder if it's a woman pretending to be a man.
Gabriel's rapture was wonderful, I enjoyed it. Julia is such a great character. Unlike Ana Grey, Julia is not so lost that she won't walk away from Gabriel if necessary. The two ladies are so very similar in their innocence, but for the incident that Julia suffered under her ex Simon. That is where it ends. Where Ana is a slave to Christian's demented ways, Julia will not compromise her values if Gabriel is not honest with her and lets go of his desire to always protect her. I did find the first book very similar to Fifty Shades in the intensity of the protagonist males, but it ends fully with this one.
Ah, Gabriel, where does one begin? Here is this Professor, so uppity in his likes, from his clothes to his fine scotch. So handsome and sexy, I find him such a contradiction! What an alpha, he growls for Christ sake! Yet he is a Professor who's expertise is Dante, one would never think of him when you think of a Professor. His love for Julia is impossible to put into words. It goes beyond anything he desires in life.
In this installment the two are a victim of a jealous vicious spoiled brat who is angry at being spurned. You feel so sad at what they go through due to her machinations. The question is, will their love survive what takes place? One can only hope.
There is one scene that so puts just how alpha Gabriel is into perspective, out in the hallway of the university, Gabriel's attorney points his finger at Julia and Gabriel tells him "take your finger out of Miss Mitchell's face or I will separate it from your body." and you can just feel the intensity of the moment. You also get a blast of it every time he calls poor Paul the angelf*cker.
A word about Paul, I felt bad for him. He loves Julia, and there have been books I've read where you actually want to see the girl with both men, but this was not one of them for me. He kind of just gets left out, no hea for him. Oh well. I recommend this book highly, if you haven't read #1, please do so first so that you can follow properly. I have reviewed it *HERE*.
Andi has spent much of her adult life looking for the perfect man, and at thirty-seven, she's finally found him. Ethan--divorced with two daughters, Emily and Sophia--is a devoted father and even better husband. Always hoping one day she would be a mother, Andi embraces the girls like they were her own. But in Emily’s eyes, Andi is an obstacle to her father’s love, and Emily will do whatever it takes to break her down. When the dynamics between the two escalate, they threaten everything Andi believes about love, family, and motherhood—leaving both women standing at a crossroad in their lives…and in their hearts.
*****
Andi has finally found the perfect man! At 37 she is taking the plunge and getting married to handsome divorced dad of two girls Ethan. He is so sweet, handsome and just a wonderful man. The same can't be said about his 12 yr old daughter Emily. She is hell on wheels and the exact opposite of her sweet 8 yr old sister Sophia. Where Sophia adores Andi, Emily hates her guts and at every turn tries to make Andi's life a living hell.
Ethan is a wonderful loving dad who suffers something fierce with divorced parent guilt. It doesn't help that his ex Brooke is an alcoholic so instead of curbing Emily he allows her to go off on her insane screaming rages which only progressively get worse as this kid gets older.
Poor Andi wants a baby of her own, she was clear with this out of the gate and Ethan was fine. She can't get pregnant and Ethan will not consider adoption. If it happens, fine, if not, that's that. Between dealing with the insanity that is Emily, and her growing resentment of Ethan's do nothingness and his unwavering no to adoption Andi is pushed to the limit of leaving.
Five years into this mess, Emily has done something that just might tear this family apart forever.
I liked this book even though I couldn't form a real connection to the characters, I don't know what the heck is happening to me, but the past few book club choices I just couldn't connect with them. I found Ethan weak and selfish, and Andi just downright silly in her tiptoeing around Emily. The two I really liked were next door neighbors Topher and Drew, they were awesome, but not the main so they were in just bits and pieces. It still was a fast moving story with some really hold your breath moments. I would have given it a 4 if I had more feelings for the characters.
Well it's official, Alan Ball has just destroyed the show. I don't know if there is anyway to get this puppy back on track. I know there are those out there who have not read the books and find it great, but really, it has just tanked. The whole Guardian/sanguanista crap?! Puhlease, Christopher Meloni is Law and Order vamp style with some f words thrown in. Salome and Eric's "sister" is ridiculous, and the whole silver iv drip and wooden stake harness is for the birds. Reverend Newlin, OMG this is just absurdity. What a damn mess.
DUMB
DUMBER
DUMBEST
There are so many story lines going on it's just pathetic. No one cares about Terry, or Arlene for that matter, it would have been way better for the show to mimic the book where she was concerend. When you start looking forward to Jason and his goofiness, you know there is a problem. And speaking of Jason, is he even going to be a panther or not? What has this man done here? Sookie confessing to Alcide what happened to Debbie, my God what is going on? Changing Pam's history? Why, and Tara, don't get me started. I actually thought for a minute that they were going to make her the Bubba character after epi 1 but no, keep her being the bitter bitch but now a bitter bitch vampire. Oh and wait, did we get a glimpse of Claude in the clothes store? Was THAT supposed to be hot male stripper Claude Sookie's Fae cousin?! Holy crap AB better go see Magic Mike to see what male strippers are supposed to look like, cuz that sure as hell ain't it!!!! But then, why would we expect him to follow that storyline correctly.
I just can't deal with Bill being the king, Eric being subservient to him. When no one can stand the protagonist (Sookie) any longer, their is a major issue. The whole thing is her. In A.B's quest to push Bill/Sookie to the forefront, he pushed Eric to the back and I think it is just going to explode on him, the ratings are down from last year, and the purists are just sick over the whole mess. I don't know if it really will come back next year for a sixth season, and I know there are some going to comic-con just to lay into AB during the q-n-a. He just refuses to see that Eric is the one who was at the forefront with Sookie, and straying so far from the books is plain wrong since he's so damn full of himself and his supposed "genious" status.
Hopefully this will be a lesson for all series authors to NOT relinquish all creative control when signing over tv or movie rights. I know she doesn't come right out and say it, but Charlaine Harris has got to be pissed at what has been done here. Odds are that egomaniac wouldn't sign unless she let it all go, but this is just disgusting. As someone said on the Sookieverse blog, imagine if Harry Potter or Lord Of The Rings went off like fan-fic how pissed would those fan's be? And yes that's exactly what this has become. Fan-fic, the taking of characters and just changing them to what he wanted, with no resemblance to their original states.
I could go on and on about this, I can't wait to hear the buzz from comic-con and what the fans are going to say to him! In the meantime I will continue to watch like a runaway train, but still hope that somehow it will be redeemed. I know an exercise in futility.
Another book read for Marce's psycho thriller challenge. Check it out *HERE*
Amazon Blurb - Just your average Pittsburgh soccer mom, baking brownies and carrying a loaded forty-caliber Glock... Lucille Teresa Guardino. A woman of many identities. Lucille to her doting mother, Lulu to her devoted husband, Mom to her pre-teen daughter, Lucy to her friends, LT to her co-workers, and Supervisory Special Agent Guardino to the criminals she captures for the FBI's Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement squad. A loving mom and wife, dutiful daughter, consummate professional, and kick-ass federal agent, Lucy is living the perfect life. Until the day she comes up against a predator more vicious and cunning than any she's ever tackled before, one who forces Lucy to choose between the life of the young victim she is fighting to save and her own daughter's....and Lucy's dream life is shattered.
*****
I like Lucy Guardino. She's tough, but not obnoxious or over the top. She has a happy family with her psychologist husband and her 12 year old daughter. Not perfect by any stretch of the word, she has a tough time dealing with her daughter falling ill, finding it easier to deal with cracking a tough case. Lucy goes after pedophiles and she is real good at it. Her comrades respect her, and have no qualms about taking orders from her.
The bad guy was a surprise all the way to the reveal for me which I loved, the side characters were all great. One thing I found which was very similar to the Kay Scarpetta novels was the relationship between Pittsburgh cop Burroughs and Lucy. Reminded me of Marino and Scarpetta. They had a nice banter, though Burroughs is finding Lucy very attractive. I will read the next, Bloodstained. I highly recommend this book.
I read this book as part of the challenge I'm participating in - Serial Killer Challenge, hosted by Marce of Tea Time With Marce. Click to check it out!
Quiet River Quiet River is a small town and people are friendly. But evil lives in quiet water. Lisa and Matt Collins spend a weekend in the town of Quiet River, Washington, where their son Evan meets a woman who says he looks like her son. She gives him cookies. The hotel clerk, an older woman, also gives him cookies, explaining to his mother that they came from the hotel's kitchen. Lisa ignores the clerk's strange behavior and forgets about her. The family goes back home to Seattle where Matt returns to his job as a magazine editor and Lisa finds out she is pregnant for the second time. Soon Matt's personal assistant dies in a car accident and he hires a new one: Kristine. One day Kristine presents Matt and Lisa with tickets to a ballet performance and that night their quiet lives change forever when they get involved in a violent store robbery and Lisa loses her unborn child. Lisa and Matt think it is their worst nightmare, but how little did they know. They have to return to Quiet River to learn what the darkest dark is and what face it can wear. Be aware the book has violent scenes and strong language.
*****
This book was just okay. It wound up having too many people involved in the whole plot for me to find it believable.
Matt and Lisa are successful and very happy. Together they edit two popular magazines. They have a four year old boy and after a relaxing vacation at a river in the country, find out they're expecting #2. With just weeks left before the baby comes, Matt's assistant Kristine gives him tickets to the ballet. He and Lisa have a wonderful night that quickly turns to horrific tragedy. The two enter a convenience store that is being held up. They are both attacked and Lisa looses the baby. She goes into a deep depression for almost a year.
Of course during this time of despair, he makes the terrible mistake of turning to his assistant, how cliche. To say that Kristine is slightly unbalanced is an understatement, and how he handles her was in my opinion on the extreme wimpy side.
Matt decides it would be a good idea to go back to Quiet River and hope that Lisa snaps out of it. He comes there on the weekends staying at their city home so he can work. Things start happening to them that slowly escalate to their son going missing. How this wraps up turns into quite a roller coaster. That was the reason I was able to keep the rating at a 3.
When unworldly student Anastasia Steele first encountered the driven and dazzling young entrepreneur Christian Grey it sparked a sensual affair that changed both of their lives irrevocably. Shocked, intrigued, and, ultimately, repelled by Christian’s singular erotic tastes, Ana demands a deeper commitment. Determined to keep her, Christian agrees.
Now, Ana and Christian have it all—love, passion, intimacy, wealth, and a world of possibilities for their future. But Ana knows that loving her Fifty Shades will not be easy, and that being together will pose challenges that neither of them would anticipate. Ana must somehow learn to share Christian’s opulent lifestyle without sacrificing her own identity. And Christian must overcome his compulsion to control as he wrestles with the demons of a tormented past.
Just when it seems that their strength together will eclipse any obstacle, misfortune, malice, and fate conspire to make Ana’s deepest fears turn to reality.
*****
This isn't going to be an actual review of Fifty Shades Freed but more of a rant on my part about the whole series. There WILL be spoilers so be warned.
I know a gazzilion women have read these books and fell head over heels with Christian Grey, but I gotta say this man is one SICK puppy. The fact that they are so romanticizing him and throwing out the fact of his mental issues is sad.
I read #1 and was engrossed, I couldn't put it down. The whole time I read it I had a sick queasy feeling in my stomach and I say that in my review. Here are my reviews of Fifty Shades of Greyand Fifty Shades Darker. When I read the second I no longer liked Ana and was not happy with the quality of the writing. I started # 3 back in March and had to stop barely in since it was bad right out of the gate, but did go back to it, obviously. Now that I've finished the last I found that with each progressive book the writing just increasingly deteriorated. I don't know if that's because of the speed in which Miss James spit these suckers out, or if it's because she was a one book wonder with no real writing talent. She certainly makes no bones of the fact that it started as Bella/Edward fanfic Masters of The Universe.
The subject matter is very deep, this man is a dom, he wants to CONTROL everything Ana does. That personality is just roiling under the surface so much so that you can see the bubbles and ripples right there. So quick can he turn that when Ana decides she wants kinky, in a flash he is that personality again, lost in the whole thing. Don't these gals realize this is a man who said he wanted to beat the shit outta her? I don't care that Ana has faith that he won't hurt her, this man still brought her to the playroom blindfolded her, strapped her to the St. Andrews cross, how frigging degrading is that, and TORTURED her till she used the safe word all because she went out with her friend Kate. Ya getting that ladies, she went to hang with her friend.
I found a lot of the book not believable, just downright juvenile in some of the things that took place. The dialogue and writing style was so immature, at times I felt as though I was reading a high school student's English assignment. The constant reptitious use of words, sick of the inner goddess and the oh mys and holy sh!ts.
What was funny and kitschy in #1 is now just downright nauseating.
What did I find unbelievable? The architect Gia Mateo who was hired to do the refurb of their home. This is a business woman who is going to work on one of the richest men in the nation's home, ya think she wouldn't be absolutely professional!? This is the get of a lifetime and the author has her come in with to many blouse buttons undone and coming on to Christian right there in front of Ana. Come on, no way! Better to have her be business like and ignore Ana, only addressing Christian. That would have made more sense. Then when he leaves the room Ana says to paraphrase, he's mine lady. What are we 16 here, puhlease.
The meekness of Ana is just too much. She's still afraid to ask him questions? One minute the author wants her as strong willed then she's this wishy washy puddle of insecurity. Taylor and Mrs. Jones together with it known by Christian? Uh, I don't THINK so! Taylor heads up the security, his job is to keep Christian and Ana safe, no way would that be acceptable especially since his feelings for the housekeeper could possibly compromise their safety. This is a perfect example of the juvenile style. When Ana shows her surprise at finding this out and Christian is laughing, "you didn't know?". Um no not believable, especially with a control freak like him as a boss. Ana may be young, but she went to college, roomed with Kate who is far from innocent, had a step dad who taught her how to defend herself, shoot and handle guns, I just find this naive I can't believe any of this is happening to me girl. And when it's convenient to the author Ana is trying to bolster Christian's insecurity about her love and devotion for him. I'm starting to think Ana may be a bit of fifty shades of messed up too! Is she an independent woman or silly immature insecure child?
I'm also so tired of how every woman they encounter is ogling Grey. Miss Hot Pants, Miss Sexual Predator, it is really old. The nurse in ICU? Ana lifts her head to see the nurse finally look at Christian and gape. This is just stupidity and unbelievable nonsense.
She is quite fond of borrowing from other stories, the kitchen scene where he feeds her blindfolded smacks of 9 1/2 Weeks with Mickey Roarke and Kim Bassinger.
How twisted is Grey? Well he really wants her to fight him off alla rape fantasy. This gets him all hot and bothered. Yea, I know there are woman out there that think this is just grand. Somehow I don't think those who have suffered this heinous act agree. There was so much sex in it I just became numb to it I didn't find it beautiful or erotic. Quite frankly, I found Ana to have turned into some nympho-maniacal sex slave with zero self control over her libido. Even when she was so hurt and angry with him turning to Mrs. Robinson feeling betrayed, she still had to keep her physical distance from him like she was Pavlov's dog. RUHEALLY!?! There's no worse feeleing than the sting and humiliation of your husband turning to another woman, in reality I don't think any normal woman would have had any problem feeling NO sexual urges at that moment, normal being the key word here. She has become no better than an animal in heat.
Grey tells he her wants to "push her to her limits" see how much she can take. There they are, those bubbles are just bursting to the surface waiting to explode.
Bottom line, she doesn't hold true to either one's personality, you're either a mousy wallflower with no self confidence or you're a strong independent woman and Grey is either a controlling dom or not. Even the whole crap with Hyde had me shaking my head as just such b.s. I wish she would have built on this it might have rung more true to me, and who bailed him out, what crapola.
Her ending was just too hard for me to swallow, having the kids, Taylor and Mrs. Jones married and all living in the house like the friggin Brady Bunch, nope, just don't buy it and I am sure glad I didn't buy a single one of em! I gotta hand it to James, she's got her insane best seller and her multi million dollar movie deal, so kudos for capitalism at its finest.
My hope for the movie? That they follow the dark path of the first and tweak it enough to show how disturbed and deep his troubles go. Where Ana maybe doesn't wind up with him at all since a leopard really never truly changes their spots and it all is too much for her to handle.
I know I've been very harsh in my opinions here. I know there are gals who'll say this is just a book we read for fun lighten up, but this wasn't Stephanie Plum or Queen Betsey where you expect light and fun this was serious subject matter here. This is such a disturbing, deep subject that goes against my very being. I LOVE alpha males in the books I read. Eric Northman, Bones, Vishous, Jerricho Barnes, but the thought of being told keep your eyes down, call me sir, you're going to be spanked now, you can't go anywhere or do anything, reeks of degradation and humiliation to me and the glorifying of Christian Grey as a dream man makes me throw up in my mouth a bit I don't care how drop dead gorgeous he is.
2 cannolis
All that said I can still hope for a good movie out of this mess with some good screen writers. There are a few actors who are supposedly chomping at the bit to play him, here they are and my thoughts -
Alexander Skarsgard. Love you as Eric darling, but you're too old for Christian, he's 27 and Alex is 35.
Ian Somerhalder, Chris Pine, and Chris Evans are right on the cusp of being to old. Of the three, I think Ian looks the best with those piercing eyes of his. I had to throw Tom Welling from Smallville in there too, my own choice cuz he is one good looking man, alas he at 35, is too old as well.
Maybe Alex Pettyfer or Ryan Phillipe.
The one who takes the cake in my opinion?
Gaspard Ulliel who played the young Hannibal Lector
Oh and I couldn't resist coming back to add this since I had forgot, Ellen narrating Fifty Shades! LOL!!!
