Review: Small Town Rumors

Small Town Rumors by Carolyn Brown
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Lady, you don't even ask how your daughter is?

Why was she in the hospital?

"Just a farmer"? Really?

This poor woman!

Shoot, I'd have mistresses too if I was married to that woman.

Is anyone normal in this town?

Cricket, the only person who can make you happy is you.

Her husband said what to her?! And she still stayed married to him?

Lettie, are you being nice to Jennie Sue because you know it will kill Charlotte?

These old ladies are crazy. but I love them!

Attagirl.

Geez Charlotte, the seventies just passed you by, didn't they.

Karma, Cricket.

Just when you think Charlotte might really have been abducted by nice aliens...

I think she should have been able to take pictures of Emily Grace and be there for the funeral.

What the hell?! That came out of nowhere!

Coulda, shoulda, woulda.

Is this really how Southern small towns are?

I love me some heirlooms, Justin. Piss off, Lawrence.

You don't let grass grow under your feet, do you Amos.

You old ladies are full of surprises, the good kind.

Mabel and Frank were as much her parents as her real ones were, probably more so.

I guess that makes me a CEO Catholic.

I want a Rick! Even when he's being a moody butt, he's still wonderful.

Good luck to you, Danielle Crossett, whoever you are.

The epilogue is beautiful.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: The Lass Beguiled the Laird

The Lass Beguiled the Laird by Lisa Torquay
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It's the nineteenth century, Anna, I'm sure your suitor is more civilized than you think.

She's so brave.

How sad that he thinks her a Sassenach, when she probably more Scottish in her heart than he is.

What the heck did he think the doctor was going to do for a bruise on her butt?

That was very romantic of him.

I dislike her father immensely.

Gah, you're stupid Fingal. Does she act like she's a prisoner in this marriage?

I received a free copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: Heart of a SEAL

Heart of a SEAL by Dixie Lee Brown
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

He sounds like a really nice, upstanding man. Sally and her daughter are lucky.

Rot in hell, Ahmed. Although, that was kind of an exciting scene.

Is his dad crazy? Who tells their kids something like that?

Her dad is that evil? Crap, was her mother sane at least?

Luke would be a good dad.

Huh. I did not see that coming.

They are so cute together.

Yeah, I thought Jen's conception might have gone something like that.

Jen probably shouldn't have seen the punch, but maybe it was good to see her sperm donor get the crap beat out of him.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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A Case Against CGI

I'm assuming there isn't a soul left who hasn't seen the original Star Wars, especially after all the recent resurgence of the series. Personally, I have yet to see the new ones, and I doubt I will. Hans and Leia Forever.

Ever notice how much better the Muppets are in the old films? Jabba the Hut is just creepy. And Yoda looks way more wise-sage of outer-space than his "younger" self. Even the light-sabers are cooler! You know why? Because no one knew what those were thirty years ago! The filmmakers had to create something from nothing. Can you imagine the conversations? "What if we had red beams coming out of swords?"

And how about Jurassic Park? After the original, who else was legitimately scared of raptors coming into your bedroom at night? And the scene with the triceratops? Who else could smell the dung?

Yes, they obviously used computerization, but they made an effort to make it real. The opening credits to Splash will make you seasick. And how about Look Who's Talking? Watching that scene will get you pregnant, I swear.

Even George of the Jungle. Yes, a British gorilla in the middle of the jungle was weird, but it was believable. The gorillas and other animals in The Legend of Tarzan look like apparitions in an LSD-inspired dream sequence in comparison.

Who else agrees with me? Or is newer always better? Weigh in in the comments!

Wheelchairs in the Media

I was re-watching the movie Hot Flashes, with the actress Brooke Shields, tonight. It's a fun movie involving middle-aged women playing basketball against the championship high school girls' team. I noticed during one of the games, there's a blink-and-you-miss-it woman in a wheelchair sitting in the stands. Now, obviously she's still in the wheelchair, and in the front row. But the movie makes a point to include her in a sea of extras. She's not just the token disabled person in town. She's just a Texan in a high-school gym, watching a basketball game.

A show that also includes a woman in a wheelchair, without rubbing it in your face or making it an after-school special "teachable moment", is Madam Secretary. Obviously, this a show about a female Cabinet member, specifically Secretary of State. I have noticed two different instances, seasons apart, where a woman in a wheelchair is shown wheeling past the main actors into an office or the elevator. Thereby showing that we can be in positions of power. Maybe she's not the Secretary, but she works for her. I'll take it!

We might get to the point where the boss is someone in a wheelchair, but if it doesn't happen, fine. Even ten years, ago, I can't remember any show that had someone who was in a wheelchair in a starring. Yes, that kid in Glee, but the actor was never disabled. Speechless is the only one, but I want to see a show where I can see myself in the character; someone who has gone to college and is not just seen as "that wheelchair lady".

Review: The Luck of the Bride

The Luck of the Bride by Janna MacGregor
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Poor little girl. And the baby who will never know his parents.

Omigod, I'm dying! The author had me fooled. Viscount, indeed.

Can you really steal from yourself?

A nobleman who can't count is just asking to get cheated.

I would so slap him. She knows how old she is!

Aww, William has always been a good brother, it seems. That lady should be hung up by her toes!

Poor thing has PTSD from Faith's fall.

This is really romantic, except for, you know, the blood.

He just walked right into her house, and she doesn't even scream?

And there he goes, ruining the moment...

Stupid ton. Chin up, Faith. Besides, it looks like you've caught the eye of a certain doctor.

Ugh, why is that guy everywhere? But drinking isn't the answer to everything either McCalpin.

Girls, if your men believe this idiot's lies over your own sister, you don't want them as husbands.

Bennett is nine-going-on-twenty-nine, I swear.

Could they have been re-marrying?

Gah, men are dumb. Bennett is smarter than all these men put together.

Suck it, Rupert.

I like that they showed compassion for whodunit.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: Behind the Mask

Behind the Mask by Renee Canter Johnson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

You know it's creepy when even the assassin is scared.

Remind me never to be in Venice on a foggy night.

What a crappy police force.

All those drugs can't be helping with the memory loss.

This is an excellent mystery.

The professor's wife ordered the hit on her, I bet.

Richard is not as large-and-in-charge as he thinks he is.

The assassin with a side-job as paparazzo.

I never liked Carmen.

Holy crap!

Whoa, she had some balls before the accident.

Ewww. Buh-bye, Ricky.

Ha, she's got jokes! Good for her.

Snort. She thought he was having a heart attack.

Oh, how nice that they found the boy.

Who else wants that wedding feast?

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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