Tuesday, April 24, 2018

Review: Netflix's Narcos Series

I heard mixed reviews about Netflix's original show Narcos.  I've put off watching it until now.  With nothing else in my recording queue, I thought of streaming in a show.  My husband and I watched the first episode last night.  Today, we are almost finished with the first season.  It's as addictive as the cocaine that Pablo Escobar sells.  

The show is about Pablo (the famous drug dealer) and Murphy (the DEA agent who comes after him).  The story is told from both of these stars' perspectives.  Yes, Pablo is a monster.  But he doesn't start off that way.  And yes, our DEA agent Murphy is the hero, but he cuts a lot of corners.  The director flashes to the real Pablo, Murphy, and other cast of characters throughout the series.  I really like how the director finds ways to refresh our memories of what was going on in the '80s.  All in all, it's a fantastic show.  Much of it is spoken in Spanish, which was a major problem for my mother who hates to read subtitles.  I am used to it and will probably finish up all three seasons by Thursday.  If you like mobster movies, you'll love this show.  It's like The Godfather, only Columbia style.
5/5 Stars


Monday, April 23, 2018

Goddess Fish Presents: Entrance Book Tour


This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. J.J. Sorel will be awarding copies of the entire series (3 books in all) to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Clarissa Moone is a young, classy, impoverished art history graduate. Her life transforms when she lands a job working for the enigmatic billionaire, Aidan Thornhill. As the contract stipulates that she reside at his lavish Malibu estate, Clarissa suddenly finds herself surrounded by jaw-dropping art and opulence. A significant step up from the run-down apartment she shares with her best friend.

Aidan Thornhill is a self-made billionaire whose earlier start in life was riddled with poverty and a dysfunctional upbringing. Running away from scandal, he joins the army and works his way up to the Special Forces. Accompanied by haunting memories, Thornhill re-enters civilian life with a million dollars gifted to him by a dying buddy. He travels to Europe where he develops a passion for art. And after many astute investments, he becomes one of LA’s wealthiest bachelors.

Voluptuous, intelligent and sensitive, Clarissa Moone's beauty makes Aidan gasp for air. But with a reputation that is as much invented as true, he has to convince Clarissa that he is not a heart-breaker. Aidan Thornhill’s movie-star looks, love of art and passionate support for the downtrodden, soon wins Clarissa’s heart, soul, and innocence.

After living a life devoted to intellectual pursuits and art, being new to love, she succumbs to her smoldering hot boss, who stops at nothing to pleasure her, sending Clarissa off into toe-curling ecstasy.

Behind the scenes, however, the claws are out. Determined to stir trouble, three characters, one of whom, a spoilt heiress, do everything to reap revenge.

With mutual burning passion impossible to extinguish, the couple's chemistry is so potent that their souls implode when Thornhill’s mysterious past threatens to drive a wedge between them. The former soldier goes into battle determined to have Clarissa even if it means losing everything.

Read an Excerpt:

Her stretched gaze nearly ate me alive. “Shit, Clary, he’s only the sexiest and most eligible billionaire in LA.” Without a moment to lose, she sprang up and tapped away on her laptop. “Come and have a look. Shit, he’s hot.”

Aidan Thornhill was indeed very good-looking. “He appears glum in every shot,” I said.

Tabitha leaned on her elbows and peered into the screen. “Hmm…the broody type. That makes him even sexier. Wow, imagine if you get the job.”

“I haven’t got it yet, Tabs,” I said.

“But you might. That’s the exciting bit.”

I sighed. “Let’s not jinx it. It’s better that way.”

“Don’t be so negative, Clary. Remember that seminar we attended. If one projects positive thoughts, life will deliver.”

“That’s new-age claptrap and a recipe for disappointment. At least this way, I’ll be ecstatic if I get it.” Standing over Tabi’s shoulder, I checked the images of my potential boss. In each photo, he appeared with different women, never the same one twice. “He’s got a thing for blondes.”

“But wait till he sees you in a bikini.” Tabitha’s voice had gone up a decibel.

“Now you’re being crazy. I’ll be working as a PA, not a model. I don’t even own a bikini. And if I did, I wouldn’t be wearing it to work.” I tilted my head. Tabitha’s mouth curled into a wide, contagious grin. Imagining me at a computer in a bikini made us giggle.

The sound of “La Marseillaise” blaring startled both of us. I must change that ringtone.

While I searched for my phone in my handbag, Tabitha was close at my heels like an eager puppy dog. Taking a deep breath, I pressed the button. “Hello.”

About the Author:
50 Shades of Grey was the first contemporary romance book I’d ever read. Up to that point, I’d spent my entire reading life buried in literature.

But then, one day, I picked up 50 Shades of Grey and couldn’t put it down. Impressed by their heart-felt, down to earth portrayal of love and sex, I quickly developed a voracious appetite for contemporary romance books. I was so inspired by the genre that I decided to explore that world as a writer.

After completing a certificate in Writing Romance with the Australian College of Journalism I embarked on writing three books. All of which are still sitting on my computer.

Then Aidan Thornhill entered my imagination and came alive on paper. From that moment, like all emotional love stories, nothing else mattered. I fell in love. And was compelled to write, almost in a frenzy, every day without fail. I am presently working on my latest novel – The Importance of Being Wild.

https://jjsorel.com
https://www.facebook.com/JJSorel/
https://twitter.com/JJ_Sorel
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36461844-entrance

The book is on sale for only $0.99 at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076K5J11Z.

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Friday, April 20, 2018

RABT Tours Presents: Startoucher by C.J. Odle



Sci fi / Fantasy
Date Published: February 17, 2018

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Humanity is put on trial by the aliens who seeded life on Earth.



After 3.8 billion years, the alien creators of life on Earth return to evaluate the results of their experiment. One species is found to be an extreme danger to itself and others – Humanity. Evidence for the continuation of the species hangs by a thread.

Jake Connolly, talented up and coming LA lawyer, has a hidden psychic side long suppressed. When a series of intense visionary experiences threaten to derail his life, he is dragged unwillingly towards mysterious events deep in the Mojave Desert. What he discovers there changes him forever, and will affect the lives of everyone on the planet.

As the world watches its destiny unfold, humanity is forced to fight for its survival in a Galactic court and justify its existence to far superior beings.

An innovative, intelligent, and mystical novel that asks the biggest questions of all.

Where are we from…where are we going...how much have we truly evolved?…


About the Author


C.J. Odle is an author and ayahuascero (works with medicinal plants) living in a small conservation and healing center in the Peruvian amazon.

Born in 1961, from an early age he developed an interest in science fiction and fantasy. Around the age of 17 he began to study divination, which led to a career of over 35 years working as an astrologer and psychic. He has written four previous books, all non-fiction and mind body spirit titles.

In his early forties he experienced a psychic crisis, which led him to Peru to complete a 6 year apprenticeship in Amazonian shamanism. He still lives in the jungle in Peru with his wife. Startoucher is his first novel.



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Monday, April 16, 2018

Book Review: Children of Time by AdrianTchaikovsky

Children of Time is a futuristic sci-fi epic that takes place in outer space.  Doctor Kern creates a terraform world, but wants monkeys to inherit it.  She thinks she is giving them a boost in evolution with some kind off DNA/microchip/enhancer.  Spiders and ants get the booster instead, creating their own world.  The spiders and ants have trouble getting along.  After an insect war, the spiders win, but do not destroy their enemy.  Instead, they choose to use them for progress.  Doctor Kern is partially dead and alone.  Her mind is uploaded into a computer.  The spiders pray to her and call her 'god.'
The second part of the story is about the last group of humans who escape earth before it destructs.  They live in a massive space ship and coast the galaxy, trying to find a new place to inhabit.  They find Kern's planet, but she and the ants scare them a way for a few centuries.  Eventually, the ship starts to break down and they need to land.  A war between humans and insects takes place, both longing for survival.

My Review:  Without spoiling this award winning novel's ending, the author sets up a constant theme-humans destroy and conquer.  You can figure the rest out or read the book.  The beginning of the story was slow.  I have to admit there were times when I almost thought of moving on and reading something else.  But I stuck with it.  
The second half of the story is where all of the action happens.  I especially love the story line about the cult that develops upon the space ship.  At first, I found the spider story kind of boring, but it heats up.  The author really does an outstanding job in explaining the characteristics of the insects and how they became enlightened, or as he says, are given "Understandings."  I read that the author studied zoology.  Maybe that had something to do with the detailed descriptions and information.  
Overall, I really like this book.  It's too long, at least one hundred and fifty pages or more, but the story is a great one and the characters are unforgettable.  A true treat to all sci-fi lovers looking for something original!  
4.5/5 Stars


Friday, April 13, 2018

From Litte Houses to Little Women Book Tour-Nancy McCabe




Creative Non-Ficion / Memoir / Travel
Date Published: Paperback out this March / eBook November 2014
Publisher: University of Missouri Press

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Nancy McCabe, who grew up in Kansas just a few hours from the Ingalls family’s home in Little House on the Prairie, always felt a deep connection with Laura Ingalls Wilder, author of the Little House series. McCabe read Little House on the Prairie during her childhood and visited Wilder sites around the Midwest with her aunt when she was thirteen. But then she didn’t read the series again until she decided to revisit in adulthood the books that had so influenced her childhood. It was this decision that ultimately sparked her desire to visit the places that inspired many of her childhood favorites, taking her on a journey that included stops in the Missouri of Laura Ingalls Wilder, the Minnesota of Maud Hart Lovelace, the Massachusetts of Louisa May Alcott, and even the Canada of Lucy Maud Montgomery.


From Little Houses to Little Women reveals McCabe’s powerful connection to the characters and authors who inspired many generations of readers. Traveling with McCabe as she rediscovers the books that shaped her and ultimately helped her to forge her own path, readers will enjoy revisiting their own childhood favorites as well.





About the Author


Nancy McCabe is the author of four memoirs about travel, books, parenting, and adoption as well as the novel Following Disasters. Her work has appeared in Newsweek, the Los Angeles Review of Books, Prairie Schooner, Fourth Genre, and many other magazines and anthologies, including In Fact Books’ Oh Baby! True Stories about Conception, Adoption, Surrogacy, Pregnancy, Labor, and Love and McPherson and Company’s Every Father’s Daughter: Twenty-Four Women Writers Remember their Fathers. Her work has received a Pushcart and been recognized on Notable lists in Best American anthologies six times.


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Monday, April 9, 2018

Goddess Fish Presents: A Hole in One by Judy Penz Sheluk



This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Judy Penz Sheluk will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Hoping to promote the Glass Dolphin antiques shop, co-owners Arabella Carpenter and Emily Garland agree to sponsor a hole in one contest at a charity golf tournament. The publicity turns out to be anything but positive, however, when Arabella’s errant tee shot lands in the woods next to a corpse.

They soon learn that the victim is closely related to Arabella’s ex-husband, who had been acting as the Course Marshal. With means, opportunity, and more than enough motive, he soon becomes the police department’s prime suspect, leaving Arabella and Emily determined to clear his name—even if they’re not entirely convinced of his innocence.

Dogged by incriminating online posts from an anonymous blogger, they track down leads from Emily’s ex-fiancé (and the woman he left Emily for), an Elvis impersonator, and a retired antiques mall vendor with a secret of her own.

All trails lead to a mysterious cult that may have something to do with the murder. Can Arabella and Emily identify the killer before the murderer comes after them?

Enjoy an excerpt:

Arabella Carpenter let the others go first. All three managed to clear the pond with their tee shot and land on the green, but not one was anywhere close to getting a hole in one. Arabella breathed a sigh of relief—since they were sponsoring the contest, their foursome might not be eligible to win, but it still freaked her out to think someone else might. She went through her mental prep, took her swing, and watched as her ball went directly into the woods.

“Hey, you made it over the water,” Hudson said, hopping into his cart. “For someone just starting out, that’s not a bad shot.”

Arabella caught Emily’s look and smiled. He really was a nice guy. “Thanks, Hudson. Whether I can find my ball is an entirely different story. Why don’t I look for it while you guys putt in? I’m sure one of you will be able to make the shot.”

They crossed the pond on a wooden bridge just wide enough for their golf carts, parked on the path next to the hole, and grabbed their putters. Luke, Hudson, and Emily went to the green and began debating which ball to hit. Arabella trundled over to the woods, feeling stupid and hoping like hell it wasn’t infested with poison ivy. The woods were thicker than she’d expected. She walked in a couple of feet, using her putter to push the branches aside.

That’s when she started to scream.

About the Author:
An Amazon international bestselling author, Judy Penz Sheluk is the author of two mystery series: The Glass Dolphin Mysteries (THE HANGED MAN’S NOOSE and A HOLE IN ONE) and The Marketville Mysteries (SKELETONS IN THE ATTIC). Her short crime fiction appears is included in several collections, including LIVE FREE OR TRI.

Judy is a member of Sisters in Crime, International Thriller Writers, the Short Mystery Fiction Society, and Crime Writers of Canada, where she currently serves on the Board of Directors as the Regional Representative for Toronto/Southern Ontario.

Find Judy on her website/blog at www.judypenzsheluk.com, where she interviews and showcases the works of other authors and blogs about the writing life.

Social Media Links

Website/Blog: http://www.judypenzsheluk.com
Facebook Author: https://business.facebook.com/JudyPenzSheluk/?business_id=736294013145101
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JudyPenzSheluk
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.ca/judypenzsheluk/
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Judy-Penz-Sheluk/e/B00O74NX04

Buy Links for A HOLE IN ONE:

Amazon: http://authl.it/9f0
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-hole-in-one-judy-penz-sheluk/1127967500
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/a-hole-in-one-3
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Judy_Penz_Sheluk_A_Hole_in_One?id=IERMDwAAQBAJ
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/book/a-hole-in-one/id1350574649?mt=11
Barking Rain Press: https://barkingrainpress.org/a-hole-in-one/ - 1473022241950-de2dbbf6-9e98

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Review of Universal Studios and Fright Night

Last October, I went to Universal Studios (Hollywood) and Fright Night with my two young adult daughters. Below is a summary and review of t...