Friday, January 13, 2017

80/20 A Matter of Taste - A Review of Seduced by Tarah Scott

Let me start out with the disclaimer that I am not a romance fan. That is to say my romance taste is wrapped in suspense, thrill, action, adventure, scifi etc. Rarely can I stomach a straight romance -- thus rarely do I knowingly chose to read straight romance. In the case of Seduced, by Tarah Scott I read the book based on the blur which to me did not describe the book as a straight romance. 

Blurb

It’s a Mississippi Deputy Sheriff’s duty to bring a serial killer to justice…even when he’s a three hundred year old Scottish lord. It’s an SAS agent’s duty to save her.

With each passing day, Lord Colin Morrison grows more furious...and more desperate. In three hundred years, not one of the women who shared his bed broke the spell that imprisoned him in Castle Morrison. Margot Saulnier is different. She can save him. All she has to do is give in to her desire for him. Then die.

Deputy Sheriff Margot Saulnier knows her best friend murdered her husband—Margot’s cousin—but she can’t prove it. Now, four years later, out of the blue, Cat calls Margot from Scotland and invites her to visit. Margot turns in her badge and leaves Mississippi. This time, she’ll do whatever it takes to prove Cat murdered Donny. Margot didn’t plan on falling in love with an SAS Agent—or a three-hundred-year-old Scottish lord. Now she must choose.

SAS Agent Charles McNeil is going to keep Margot Saulnier out of trouble—whether she likes it or not. He understands her need for justice, but with no proof and no authority, she’s headed for serious trouble. So is he. Charles didn’t plan on falling in love with Margot. Neither did he plan on saving her from a serial killer.

I thought this book was going to have a ton more plot than romance / eroticism. This is not the case. If I had know this I would have not read the book as it is not my taste. I did, however, chose to read the book and so here is my review as posted on Amazon and Goodreads.
 

This is a heavy romance with a lot of passion. Light on the story but is not lacking in hot and steamy scenes. The attempt at character and plot by the author is weak and I wanted more. More depth, more mystery, more excitement to make it a more enthralling, interesting read. 

In the plot that was conceived, I got a little lost in the mix. Who is who and I admit I wanted more depth in the folds of all of the erotic play. Overall, a good read but I will admit I prefer more plot than sex and this is definitely the opposite.
 




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Thursday, January 12, 2017

NBC Attempts to Modernize a Classic Tale with Emerald City

When a tornado transports Dorothy Gale from Lucas, Kan., to the faraway land of Oz, her arrival sets in motion a prophecy about a disastrous event known as The Beast Forever and strikes fear into the land's almighty ruler, the Wizard. On her quest to meet the Wizard in Emerald City, Dorothy encounters witches, an amnesiac soldier, a sheltered little boy and many more mysterious beings who will ultimately shape the future of Oz and Dorothy's place in it.

Say goodbye to Kansas.

Creators: Matthew Arnold, Josh Friedman

Starring: Adria Arjona, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Ana Ularu 

The premiere episode of Emerald City was Jan 6th 2017 and was two episodes together, The Beast Forever and Prison of the Abject giving us a theatrical length pilot. The creators Matthew Arnold and Josh Friedman are relative unknowns and NBC seems to have taken a note from other networks in giving new creators a shot. 

Anchoring the cast is Vincent D'Onofrio, who has been recently hailed for his great performance in the Netflix original series, Marvel’s Daredevil, and Joely Richardson who has a slew of b-List credits to her name. The remaining ensemble are all relatively unknown actors and actresses and this was, I think a good move on NBC’s part. 

Let’s talk about the show. This is an updated version of the original Wizard of Oz complete with a gun and medical knowledge (as Dorothy in this version is a nurse). The fantasy, bright dream like quality of the original is erased and replaced with rich tones, dark shadows and even darker intent. There is no skipping in Emerald city. No singing, joking or even humor. It is a straight-laced drama and very dark. 

With violent scenes including the beating of a woman beyond reason, to manipulation via ignorance, the tones of the entire show are dark and dire. Even Dorothy is lacking a gleam of hope. 

All of that being said, the acting is good, the chemistry between Lucas and Dorothy is evident and leveraged in every possible scene. While I am a fan of D’Onofiro, his portrayal of the Wizard is thick and a heavy, very reminiscent of Wilson Fisk in Daredevil without the layers.  While the Fisk character is also very heavy we are given layers to the swamp and why it exists and that is reflective of good writing. This is not the case thus far in Emerald City for any of the characters. 

If the pitch for this show is Once Upon A Time meets Dystopia it fits, but is in its current state unpalatable. 

While there have been several television and movie reincarnations / retellings / reinterpretations / spins offs of the famed classic movie The Wizard of Oz. I have watched a few and others I have refrained. I was actually going to refrain from this version until a Twitter friend said I should watch. All have been interesting but none compare to the original. 

The Tin Man (2007) Starring: Zooey Deschanel, Alan Cumming, Neal McDonough - Set in the spirit of L. Frank Baum's classic, the "Tin Man" follows the adventures of DG, a waitress and part-time student, as she travels through the mystical world of "The O. Z. (Outer Zone)", discovering her hidden past. This well-known story takes a twist in this SyFy adaptation as DG battles the sorceress Azkadellia along with the help of four friends; Glitch, a former adviser to the Queen whose brain has been removed; Raw, a psychic empath; and Wyatt Cain, a former police man (aka Tin-man) who has been imprisoned in an iron suit, forced to watch his family's destruction time and time again. Although parallels can be made to the original book this story takes its own path down the yellow brick road.

Dorothy and the Witches of Oz (2012) Starring: Paulie Redding, Eliza Swenson, Billy Boyd - Children's author Dorothy Gale makes a decent living continuing her grandfather's series of Oz books. When a new agent enters the scene, Dorothy moves to New York city. In the midst of a major business deal for her books, Dorothy discovers that her books are not based on her imagination, but on repressed memories. While Dorothy struggles with the revelation, she is forced to confront The Wicked Witch of the West, who has descended upon the Big Apple, determined to settle an old score.

Oz the Great and Powerful (2013) Starring: James Franco, Michelle Williams, Rachel Weisz  - A frustrated circus magician from Kansas is transported to a magical land called Oz, where he will have to fulfill a prophecy to become the king, and release the land from the Wicked Witches using his great (but fake) powers.

Return to Oz (1985) Starring: Fairuza Balk, Nicol Williamson, Jean Marsh - Dorothy, saved from a psychiatric experiment by a mysterious girl, is somehow called back to Oz when a vain witch and the Nome King destroy everything that makes the magical land beautiful.



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Netflix Launches - Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events - January 13

 

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Tuesday, January 10, 2017

NBC ReWrites a Classic with Emerald City - Trailer

 



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Monday, January 9, 2017

Romantic Suspense Excerpt - Little Angels

 

What if saving little angels meant becoming the monster?

When Special Agent Nick McFarlane receives news his partner of eight years is in trouble he doesn’t hesitate. Throwing himself into a deep cover operation to expose and shut down The Micahs, a child trafficking ring, Nick enters unprepared for the reality that awaits. 

Special Agent Meredith Richards took the assignment fully aware of the consequences. Leaving her life behind, she wouldn’t be able to get out with her life until she shut the Micahs down for good.

When Meredith’s informant is murdered and her contact inside the organization starts to lose control, Meredith is forced to make choices she can’t take back. On the edge of sacrificing herself, her principles, and her life, she begins to wonder if she will survive the case or if she even wants too.  

Excerpt
The road was rough, and Nick hung onto the dash for fear of falling out of the jeep. After dispatching the entire force, five teams on the ground and two in the air, they'd lost the signal over half an hour earlier. Being in the middle of the dense jungle made the search almost impossible, but they were closer than they’d been just hours ago.

Nick felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and he lifted it to look, not recognizing the number. 

"McFarlane," he said into the phone and there was silence. "Hello?"
He could barely make out a voice and he looked to Jacobs to stop the car.
"Hello?"

Jacobs stopped the jeep and Nick waited.

"Meredith?" Nick said.

"Hello?" He heard a small voice say back at him.

"Hi, this is Nick, who is this?"

"Lily," she replied, her voice shaking. "Meredith..."

"Are you with Meredith, sweetheart?"

"She won't...she won't wake up..." she said, and Nick's heart stopped.
"Lily, do you know where you are?" Nick asked, looking to Jacobs, who dialed his own phone. 

"In the jungle," she replied between little sobs. "I'm scared...she's bleeding and I can't..."

"Lily, is there anything around? Do you see anything?"

"There is a jeep. I think it’s how the bad man got here," she said into the phone. Jacobs nodded and he started the jeep again. 

"Lily, listen to me, I need you to stay on the phone with me. I'm coming to get you," Nick said. 

"Please hurry...it's dark, and Meredith..."

"It's okay, Lily, we're coming," Nick replied, listening to the girl panic on the phone.

"She dying," Lily said, beginning to cry again. "Please, I don't want her to die..."
"Lily, it's going to be okay," Nick tried to reassure her—he also tried to reassure himself.

The car wasn't moving fast enough, and he felt like he was going to jump out of his skin. He was telling Lily to be brave, and he was terrified himself.
They had time. They had to have time. This wasn't the end. 

He could still get to her. 

He could still save her.

"I see lights, is that you?" Lily said to him on the phone and without thinking, he leapt from the car and ran forward, the lights of the car illuminating the path. After a moment, he saw the child seated on the ground, Meredith lying just behind her. Nick reached them in seconds and the child dove into his arms. Hugging her tightly against him, he looked to Meredith, his heart bursting.
"Please help her," she said, sobbing into his shirt.

"It's going to be okay," he said. Jacobs came and took the child from his arms.
Nick moved to Meredith, taking in her injuries. He touched her shoulder to look at her better, and felt the warm stickiness on his hand. Looking at it against the light, it was covered in blood.

"She's been shot," Nick said. He scooped her in his arms, moving back to the jeep as he saw more lights approaching. "You got this?"

"Yeah, go," Jacobs said. "I'll call Henry and have him pick you up. Keep your phone on!"

Nick put her in the passenger's seat, and tore off through the jungle. Every few seconds, he looked over to her pale face. "Come on, Henry," Nick pleaded aloud. His phone buzzed, and he picked up, talking to Henry, one of the helicopter pilots. Henry led him through the jungle to a clearing where he would be able to pick them up. Nick reached the clearing and jumped out of the car, walking around to the passenger's seat. Nick protected her from the slicing wind, hearing the helicopter's approach. He felt Meredith move beneath him.
"Nick," she said weakly, but her eyes were still heavy and they began to close again.

"Meredith...stay with me, Mere," he said taking her face in his hands. "Stay with me, we're getting you out of here."

She nodded and fell against him. Nick lifted her from the jeep. Her arm wrapped around his neck, pulling herself closer to him. He carried her on board, taking a seat with her in his lap. The door closed, muffling the noise.

She opened her eyes, looking up at him.

"Hey, beautiful," he said.

“I bet you say that to all the girls," she replied with a tired smile that lifted him.
"Not all of them, just the ones I can't live without," he replied, hugging her a little closer.

"I wish that were true," she said, and her eyes closed.

He checked her pulse and found it weak and thready. 

"Hurry!" He yelled to the pilot, and saw the man nod in return.
***

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