second chances

Friday Film Review: Never Say Goodbye

Friday Film Review: Never Say Goodbye

Never Say Goodbye (1946) Genre: Romantic Comedy with screwball elements Grade: B I hadn’t planned on doing a review of this movie just yet but when I saw it was being shown on TCM on December 17th, I jumped. Why? Well, it’s another movie which hasn’t been released on DVD yet and the only VHS(…)

Friday Film Review: Jack and Sarah

Friday Film Review: Jack and Sarah

Jack and Sarah (1995) Genre: Dramedy, romance Grade: B Richard E. Grant can do neurotic better than almost any actor I know. And this film affords him ample opportunity to show this. But don’t think it’s a total downer as he also gets to display his comic timing and is backed up by some of(…)

Friday Film Review: Dear Frankie

Friday Film Review: Dear Frankie

Dear Frankie (2004) Genre: Drama Grade: A- Gerard Butler, please stop acting in rubbish films that have heroines put in vibrating underwear and do more like this one. This film is wonderful. And it’s wonderful without overdoing the important moments or slathering on the pathos in order to yank on our heartstrings. Lizzie Morrison (Emily(…)

REVIEW: The Good Mayor by Andrew Nicoll

REVIEW: The Good Mayor by Andrew Nicoll

Dear Mr. Nicolls, We get lots of arcs and finished copies of books offered to us at Dear Author. Some I am anticipating, others I recognize the author’s name and in a few cases, I’ve never heard of either book or author. Your debut novel, “The Good Mayor” falls into the latter category. I say(…)

REVIEW: Rekindled Hearts by Brenda Minton

REVIEW: Rekindled Hearts by Brenda Minton

Dear Ms. Minton, There is a lot of stuff you are trying to cover in this book. Some of it is done just right, some of it is skimmed too quickly for me and some of it just seems to be on an eternal repeating loop. The small Kansas town of High Plains is still(…)

REVIEW: Can’t Stand the Heat by Louisa Edwards

Dear Ms. Edwards: Thank you for sending me this book. I confess I tried to read this book many times, never making it out of the first few chapters. The heroine, Miranda Wake, a food critic, gets drunk at a restauraent premiere and makes some very loud and rude remarks. She then insults the chef,(…)

REVIEW: Never Let Me Go by Joan Smith

REVIEW: Never Let Me Go by Joan Smith

Dear Ms. Smith, Your regencies novels have been among my favorites for years. I’d heard conflicting things about your contemporary mysteries but decided to take the plunge and try one that seemed, from the blurb, to also include some regency stuff. Belle Savage, American romance writer, rents a cottage in England for inspiration. And she(…)

REVIEW: One-Night Love Child by Anne McAllister

REVIEW: One-Night Love Child by Anne McAllister

Dear Ms. McAllister, Click here to go to eHarlequin.com Recently a friend of mine recommended you as a “Presents” author whose heroes aren’t assholes. She said something like, “They don’t suck.” Telling me something is different from the normal is like baiting a juicy worm on a hook for a hungry fish. So yeah, I(…)

REVIEW: Hunt Her Down by Roxanne St. Claire

Dear Ms. St. Claire: Of all the Bullet Catcher books, Hunt Her Down is the one I most enjoyed reading. That is because I was pretty much glued to the book the whole way through, my internal critic entertained into submission.   The protagonists were well-drawn and sympathetic, their attraction palpable, the suspense aspects of the(…)

REVIEW: Marrying Minister Right by Annie Jones

Dear Ms Jones, First off, kudos to whoever chose the title of the book. It’s cute, inspired and totally fits the subject matter of the story. Heather Waters has made a life for herself running a Christian charity after that disastrous day ten years ago when she discovered two things. One that her father wasn’t(…)

REVIEW: Now and Then by Jacqueline Sheehan

Note: There are going to be some spoilers later on. Dear Ms. Sheehan, I’m glad that your publishers have figured out how to spell your first name. On the arc I received, it is spelled without a ‘c.’ When I checked the spelling to make sure I had your first name correct, I noticed it(…)

REVIEW: Cowboy Comes Back by Jeannie Watt

Dear Ms. Watt, I love a contemporary that doesn’t ask me to put up with idiot behavior or a stupid premise that has to be explained every which way to try and get me to believe in it. Thank you for giving me such a book. Now that his rodeo career is over, Kade Danning(…)

REVIEW: Lip Service by Susan Mallery

Dear Ms. Mallery, That I endeavored to read Lip Service is probably a surprise to anyone who read my Twitter entries about the first book in the Titan sisters series (Under Her Skin), since that book hit quite a few of my hot buttons.   But a good experience with the Buchanan series and active curiosity(…)

REVIEW: Red’s Hot Honky-Tonk Bar by Pamela Morsi

Dear Ms. Morsi, You’re a favorite author of mine from way back. Once I’d tried a few of your historicals, I went on a backlist hunting expedition and managed to track down most of them. When you moved in the direction of women’s fiction, I was reluctant to follow and this is, in fact, the(…)

REVIEW: Facing It: A Hearts of the South story by Linda Winfre

REVIEW: Facing It: A Hearts of the South story by Linda Winfre

Dear Ms. Winfree: I can’t recall why I purchased this book but I bought it a couple of months ago with two other books from Samhain. It could have been a “new” book or it could have been on the bestseller list. Those usually influence my purchases at Samhain.   I thought it had good suspense(…)