March 2025's Reading Summary

It's the last day of March, so that means it must be time for another reading summary.  Just eight books in March, but here they are.  The links will take you to my full review.

Yes, the index has been updated this month.

All ratings are on a scale of 1 (bad) to 5 (great). The link will take you to my full review.

Silent as the Grave by Rhys Bowen and Clare Broyles (Molly Murphy #21) – 3

When Molly visits her friends Ryan O’ Hara on the set of an early silent movie, her adopted daughter Bridie winds up getting discovered and cast in the lead. So Molly starts spending time on the set herself, where she sees some suspicious accidents. But when one hits very close to home, Molly starts investigating. Can she find proof of sabotage before someone dies?

I’ve always appreciated that this series has given us glimpses into many different worlds of 1900’s New York City. As a fan of movies, this setting was very fun. Having said that, the pacing was really off here, which was disappointing. The climax is satisfying, however. I enjoy spending time with the characters, although some growth would be nice. I did feel transported to the time period as I read. Fans of the series will appreciate time with the characters even if this isn’t the strongest book in the series. 

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book. 

Running on Empty by Karin Fitz Sanford (Wine Country Cold Case #2) – 4

When Lino Pardini dies, Anne McCormack finds herself drawn into the resulting family drama.  Meanwhile, her uncle Jack is hoping for a fresh clue or two about what happened to Lino’s previous wife.  Then there are the questions around Lino’s death itself.  Can Anne help untangle it?

If you pick this book up expecting a typical mystery, you’ll be disappointed.  The family drama takes up much of the pages.  But that’s not a bad thing.  Thanks to the well-developed characters, the story is very compelling.  The multiple viewpoints are also used perfectly.  Still, the mysteries were wrapped up to my satisfaction.  There were a few details that were wrong and bugged me, but they are minor.  On the other hand, I am very familiar with the setting, and I loved seeing real places and roads I know popping up in the middle of the fictional locations.  Think of this more as a crime drama rather than a mystery and you’ll be pulled in, watching the pages fly by all too quickly.

Snowy with a Chance of Murder by Jessica Fletcher and Barbara Early (Murder, She Wrote #60) – 4

When Jessica slips on the ice, her Caribbean get away turns into a stint at home in a wheelchair. But she still finds herself with a mystery to solve when a mysterious artist moves in across the street. His snow sculptures are drawing a crowd, but for the wrong reasons. Then a murder happens with potential ties to another case in town. Can Jessica figure out what is going on?

Those getting Rear Window vibes aren’t far from the setup, although Jessica still gets out quite a bit, which I was grateful for. While there is a lot happening here, I did find the pacing a bit uneven at times, but things come together wonderfully once the murder happens. I love how this book expertly captures the characters and community of Cabot Cove. Since that was the reason we loved those episodes so much, fans will love this aspect of things. With spring fast approaching, there is still time to enjoy some winter vibes with this fun book. 

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

Shattered Sight by Liz Milliron (Jackson Davis Mysteries #1) – 5

Six months after an accident while pursuing a suspect injured his partner, Jackson Davis is returning to his job as a detective on the Niagara Falls police force.  He's assigned a new partner, a rookie who just got promoted.  And they've landed a confusing case.  A business CEO was found at the bottom of the falls, but was it an accident, suicide, or murder?  Even her family and co-workers can't agree on what might have happened.  Can they make sense of enough clues to solve the case?  Or will being back be too much pressure for Jackson?

Jackson's mental health is a major subplot of this book, and I'll admit it gave me some anxiety while reading.  Talk about great writing.  But I ultimately liked where that story ended and what it allowed us to learn about all the characters in the book.  I really did enjoy getting to meet them and am looking forward to spending more time with them.  The suspects were also strong.  The mystery was great since there were so many avenues to pursue, I had a hard time figuring anything out.  Yet in the end, things did make sense.  Since this is a police procedural, the content is definitely more than the cozies I often read, but the few scenes were obvious when they were coming.  This is a solid series debut, and I am looking forward to seeing what is next for Jackson.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

Helpless by Annette Dashofy (Zoe Chambers Mysteries #12) – 4

With the remains of a tropical storm hitting the area, the last thing that Zoe Chamber-Adams and Pete Adams need is a criminal running around the area. But that’s just what they’ve got. They are called to a horrific scene on a neighbors’ farm. The wife has been shot, the husband left for dead, and their daughter kidnapped. As Pete tries to find the daughter before she is taken out of the area, Zoe tries to learn what she can from the husband. Will the storm help or hurt them?

This is more of a ticking clock thriller than a mystery, with the book taking place over the course of a day. As much as I love this series, this one was a bit of a letdown. I found Zoe’s portion of the story slowed the plot down, and I found it a very dark book, even by this series’ standards. On the other hand, the overall plot of the book was great and I was still always reluctant to set the book down. It was great spending time with Zoe and Pete, and I enjoyed seeing the updates we still got on the series regulars and some ongoing stories. Fans of this great series will still be glad they picked up this book. 

Homicide in the Indian Hills by Erica Ruth Neubauer (Jane Wunderly Mysteries #6) – 4

Jane and Redvers head to India. The trip is part honeymoon and part work as Redvers is supposed to attend political meetings. While there, Jane befriends a woman who winds up dead just a couple of days later. The death is ruled death by tiger, but Redvers has another cause – murder. Can they figure out what really happened. 

I enjoyed this trip to India in 1927. The country and time really came to life for me. Jane and Redvers are the only returning characters, and it was nice to spend time with them again. This also means you can jump in here if you want to. The new characters are a mixed bag, but they are strong enough to pull us into the story. The mystery kept me intrigued until we reached the logical and suspenseful climax. Those who missed the electronic only Christmas novella from a year and a half ago will be happy to see it included here as an extra. Anyone looking for some travel with their historical mystery will be glad they picked up this series. 

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

The Final Draw by Ridley Pearson (Kingdom Keepers Inheritance #3) – 4

Eli Finn and his friends are in Disney World’s Magic Kingdom for the fireworks on Friday night.  But the fireworks all go off at once.  And then the kids make another discovery – all the villains and henchmen have vanished from the various rides in the parks.  Can they figure out the riddle they got from Tiana in time to save the magic?  Or will it be lost for good?

If this is your introduction to the Kingdom Keepers universe, you will be very lost since it is the wrap up to over a dozen books across several series.  But fans of the series will know what to expect here and will enjoy what we get.  It’s pretty much par for the course, with lots of great scenes with Disney characters and the parks in spooky circumstances.  The characters are thin, but that’s been true all along the way.  Having said that, I really loved a couple of scenes with Eli and his parents that break out of some of the usual interactions with parents in middle grade books.  If this does turn out to be the last adventure in the Kingdom Keepers universe, fans will be satisfied.

Waters of Destruction by Leslie Karst (Orchid Isle Mysteries #2) – 5

It’s been a few months since we last checked in with Valerie and Kristen, and in that time, they’ve completed their move to Hawai’i. While they are trying to settle into their new life, Valerie agrees to help out their friend Sachiko who needs a bartender at the restaurant she manages. The old bartender has disappeared, but when his body turns up, the police start looking at Sachiko as a suspect. Can Valerie figure out what really happened to him?

Since Valerie and Kristen were fighting in the first book, I had trouble buying into their relationship. I’m happy to say they were getting along better here, and I enjoyed spending more time with them. The rest of the characters were great as well, and I hope we see many of them again. The plot appeared to be wandering a bit at the beginning, but everything came into play on the way to the surprising climax. Some of the characters do use Pigeon English, but I didn’t have trouble following their dialog. There is a glossary in the back if you want to learn more as well as five recipes to enjoy after you’ve finished. The setting came to life, and it was the next best thing to getting to visit myself. This is a fun second book for when you want a tropical retreat filled with murder. 

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book. 

March 30th's Sunday/Monday Post

It's the weekend, so it's time for another Sunday/Monday Post.  As usual, I will be linking up to:

Sunday Post
Sunday Salon
Stacking the Shelves
Mailbox Monday
It's Monday, What Are You Reading?

As you may have noticed, I skipped this post last week.  I have a very good excuse, too.  I was out of town with family.  Heck, I even left my lap top at home.

My family all met up near Palm Springs.  We spent time at a trailer park we found decades ago, and I mean that literally.  We found it while I was still living at home.  It's got more mobile homes now than it used, too, and some of the family stayed in one of those while some of us stayed in Mom and Dad's trailer.  The group included my parents, my brother and his family, and my uncle and aunt.  We swam every day in the nice warm pools they have there.  And we played shuffled board and pickleball.  At night, we played games.  We did go into Palm Springs for a few hours one afternoon.  It was a very nice, relaxing time.

This past week, I've been back at work.  Month end close started on Friday, so I had quite a few things to catch up on when I got back, but I think we are in good shape.  As long as there aren't any surprises.

Saturday, I spent a few hours at Six Flags Magic Mountain.  First time I'd been this year.  Was fun to walk around and ride a few of the rides.  And I was productive since I wrote two reviews while I was in line.

Anyone else use email drafts on their phone to work on reviews?  It's not my favorite way to write them, but it's a nice option when I can't be on my laptop and have some reviews I want to get written.  I just give them a more careful edit before I post them.  That's what I was doing while waiting in line for the rides.

Pun of the Week:

Restaurant reviews for the new diner on the moon claim the food is okay, but there’s no atmosphere.

This Past Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Movie Review: Love in Zion National

Monday - Book Review: The Final Draw by Ridley Pearson

Tuesday - Movie Review: Following Yonder Star

Wednesday - Book Review: Waters of Destruction by Leslie Karst

Thursday - TV Show Review: The Right Stuff

Friday - Friday Post featuring Ranch Dressing

Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

This Coming Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post

Monday - March Reading Summary

Tuesday - Book Review: People of Darkness by Tony Hillerman

Wednesday - Movie Review: Mame

Thursday - Book Review: Ranch Dressing by Diane Vallere

Friday - Friday Post

Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

Book Haul:

Of course, I have new books to talk about.  Not as many as I might have if I weren't out of town for a few days.  My to be read pile is thankful for that.

Let's start with my Kindle deal for the last two weeks.  I'd bought books one, three, and four in the Ainsley McGregor series from Candace Havens last fall, but then the second went on sale.  It appears that A Case for the Yarn Maker is still only 99 cents as of my typing this Saturday afternoon, so it isn't too late for you to snag it, too.  (And the first is currently free.)

I also got a preorder - The Library Game by Gigi Pandian.  This is the fourth book in her Secret Staircase series, and I'm looking forward to diving in soonish.  Not quite sure when that will be, but it really is near the top of my to be read pile.

Then, I bought a couple of next books in series I have already started.  The Girl with the Dragonfruit Tattoo is the final Trouble in Paradise! series from Carrie Doyle.  As sad as it is that the series only lasted three books, it is nice when I finish a series I've started.  That might jump this one up my to be read list.

I also got Death Comes to Marlow, the second Marlow Murder Club Mystery from Robert Thorogood. I loved the first in the series, and I believe the BBC/PBS series is getting a second season.  I'm assuming it is based on this book, so I hope to read the book first this time.

What I'm Currently Reading:

As I'm typing this, I'm almost half way through Egg Drop Dead, the fifth Noodle Shop Mystery from Vivien Chien.  I'm hooked.  In fact, I'm about to sit down and read for a bit, so by the time you read this, I'll be further along.

If all goes according to play, I will be finishing that book up on Sunday.  So Monday, I will be starting a new book.  The dilemma is, what?  I'm leaning toward Death on the Golden Mile by Caleb Wygal.  This is the third in his series set in Myrtle Beach.  I'm leaning even more toward it because I just discovered it's been a year since I read book two.  I was thinking it was more recent than that.  So sounds like it is time for a return trip.

That's it for me.  Hope you have a great week.

March 29th's Weekly TV Thoughts

I was out of town for part of last week.  Could you tell with how little I talked about?  Okay, so some of my shows weren't on, which also helped cut things down.  But I'm making up for it this week.

Shifting Gears (3/19) – Usually, I’m in favor of characters sticking with their first love.  And I don’t like divorce playing a part in things.  But I was actually okay with things in this episode.  I liked the Riley realized having money wouldn’t solve their other problems.  And I liked how both storylines played out.  The show continues to tackle some serious subjects without losing the humor.  I hope the show does come back for more episodes next season because I’m really enjoying it.  And yes, I did love the couple of references to cast members past work.

Wild Cards (3/19) – Bomb episodes aren’t usually my favorite, but this one was fun.  And it gave us a nice insight into the captain, who we usually hardly see.  Nice overall.

The Challenge (3/19) – So.  Much. Drama.  I’m over it.  Can we have less of it going forward?  The actual challenges are interesting, but all the swearing and bleeping can just go away.

Survivor (3/19) – Normally, I’m all about the underdogs pulling off the blindside.  But I was actually worry it worked this week.  I think because Camille’s lying and sowing discord is getting to me, and I really wanted to see her voted out.  If they’d only voted for her, it would have worked.  Bummer!  At least Thomas’s steal a vote didn’t make any difference in the outcome.

The Amazing Race (3/19) – They seem to have this at least once a season where none of the teams can complete one half of a detour.  It’s a good thing this wasn’t a leg where someone had to do both sides.  Getting the express pass seemed easy.  And seemed like it didn’t cost you much to try, although the couple that didn’t try got first this leg.  As someone who had to do hacky sack recently myself, I felt for the teams during that.  It’s much harder than it looks.  Although the fact that they had to pass it to another person is different from what I was trying to do (a bunch of hits by myself).  No real surprise over who went home.  They probably would have only last another leg or two if they weren’t out this week.

Happy’s Place (3/21) – A very sweet season finale.  I hope they do lean into the romance a bit more next season.  And maybe give Dakota a storyline.  But I really love this sitcom.  The new season can’t come soon enough.

Tracker – A bit dark and out there again.  Not as out there as some of them have been.  And I would have been much happier if they hadn’t killed the priest.  We had enough dead bodies to know it was serious, why did they have to kill him, too?  I did like Colter not accepting the reward money and suggesting it be used in the community.

Suits LA – I was surprised we were at the trial already.  Now, I’m surprised at the twists we’ve taken, especially at the end.  I hate to see the prosecutor win, but now I want her to win.  And I’m upset about what is going on in the past.  I get why they broke up, but why did we have to kill off the impersonator.  (I feel like I was just saying that.)  And yes, I’m getting hooked.

Poppa’s House – Nice to see them working some family into the show.  But I’m not sure I laughed once.  Not especially funny and not that original.

Rescue: HI Surf – So much to unpack here.  I’m assuming the lawsuit is going to come back into play next week.  While Will is suspended.  I liked Em’s storyline.  And Kainalu’s reaction to Hina’s confession was perfect.  He’s complete right about things.  Glad his dad wasn’t harsh but still firm about cutting the lines for permits.  Finally actually liked his dad.

Night Court – That was fun.  Not only did they follow a case the entire time (which seems rare), but I’ve really enjoyed it when the Wheelers show up.  More like this, please.

Deal or No Deal Island – That took guts.  I really thought he was going to hold on to his case, and it’s a very good thing he didn’t.  Talk about a great deal!

The Challenge – It’s amazing how much more enjoyable the show is when you fast forward through the parts where everyone fights.  And you get through the show faster.  I think I missed something where the winners of the elimination got to steal a star.  Glad that’s not it for the team that got theirs stolen from them.  That would stink.  And it set up more drama for next time.  Probably fast forward through it again.

Wild Cards – That was a very clever murder method.  Not sure it could really be pulled off, but I loved it for the mystery plot.  Had some fun moments along the way, although not quite as many as normal.

Survivor – Lots of emotion.  Glad they took the time they needed after the challenge.  For a minute, I thought I was going to fast forward through that, but it turned out really nice and I’m glad I didn’t.  And then watching Bianca be voted out was hard.  It’s interesting who actually voted her out and who was the last one to figure out she didn’t have a vote (Sai).  So much for the master strategist.

The Amazing Race – Taxi problems are back.  I’m glad that didn’t eliminate the team.  But boy are they having bad luck along the way.  Felt a bit sorry for the team that missed the signs and so they got eliminated, but at least there, they were responsible for it, not someone else.  That ATV journey looked like so much fun.  I want to go!

March 28th's Friday Post

Time for another Friday Post.  As usual, I will be linking up to:

Book Beginnings
First Line Friday
Friday 56
Book Blogger Hop

This week, I'm pulling quotes from Ranch Dressing by Diane Vallere.

This is the fifteenth book in her Samantha Kidd series.  Diane is no stranger to my Friday posts or my blog in general.  She's written 42 mysteries, and I have now read them all.  Not as big an accomplishment as having written all of them, but I'm still very satisfied at the moment.

But let's talk about this book.  As you've probably guessed, Samantha is off to a dude ranch (or a guest ranch, if you prefer), which is definitely outside her wheelhouse.  Which gives us this great opening:

“I need to borrow some clothes,” I said. “Jeans,” I added then tacked on “Wranglers,” for further clarification. I finished with “please” to properly convey my desperation.

I was smiling by the time I finished that paragraph.

Normally, for the Friday 56, I'm trying to find something that captures a plot twist or teaser of some kind.  But this time, I've got a nice descriptive passage for you.

Loncar leaned back against the side of the building. He kicked his feet out in front of him and looked at the deep purple-blue night sky dotted with hundreds of stars. I shifted my attention from Loncar to the sky and, for the first time since we’d arrived, stopped to take in the beauty of the surrounding land. The light came from the moon, and it was full enough to make visible the tree line, the fence, and a family of deer that grazed about a hundred feet away. I pointed to the deer, Loncar nodded, and we sat there, allowing our murder-case recap to lapse into silence while we admired the beauty of the great outdoors.
After a minute or so, one of the deer turned and fled. The others followed. I watched their silhouettes disappear into the darkness, and moments later, there was no sign that they’d been there.

As expected, I enjoyed this book.  (I mean, I wouldn't read this many books by an author I didn't enjoy her.)  My full review will be up Thursday next week.

Let's switch over to the Book Blogger Hop.  This week has a hot question:

Do you judge an author's works based on their political stances?

I try not to, unless they infuse the book with their politics to the point that it overwhelms the novel.  However, it's been very hard to keep that true over the last six months or so.  Some of what I've seen authors posting on social media has been pretty nasty.  I can name three authors who said, essentially, "If you didn't vote my way, stop reading my books."  Two of them were authors I have read and reviewed for years.

It's something I've been struggling with a lot more in the past six months than in my entire previous 25 years of reviewing.  Which saddens me since this can be such a great way to form bridges and connections that can lead to understanding, common ground, and solutions.  But it is becoming increasingly hard to view this as an escape and hobby to build community.

And on that somber note, I'm out of here for the day.  Have a great weekend!

TV Show Review: The Right Stuff - Season 1

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Period details, acting, fun nostalgia

Cons: None of the men are likable by the end; sudden stop

The Bottom Line:

History, drama

An eight-episode mixed bag

Wanted to like more

“Every School Kid is Going to Know the Name of the First American in Space.  That’s Not Glory.  That’s History.”

Another series that captured my interest right away when I first got Disney+ several years ago was The Right Stuff.  Since I already knew two of the leads from their work on other shows and love American history, I figured I’d enjoy it.  Sadly, it’s wasn’t nearly as good as I expected it to be.

The show looks at the early days of the US space program, specifically the 7 fighter pilots chosen to be the first astronauts as part of the Mercery program.  Even among those characters, the show really focuses on three of them, John Glenn (played by Patrick J. Adams), Alan Shepard (Jake McDorman), and Gordon Cooper (Colin O’Donoghue).  The show follows the almost two-year period in which the men trained and the scientists worked on the rockets that would successfully and safely get them into space and back.  Who will get the historic first flight into space?

The show works in some ways.  The period detail is fantastic.  The acting from the entire cast is wonderful.  I got sucked into the story and enjoyed the episodes.  Considering there are only eight episodes in the first season, they cover a lot of ground, and focusing on the three astronauts makes sense, although I do wonder why they chose to focus on Gordon Cooper.

Maybe that is because the show is also part soap opera.  This is especially true for Gordon, who is trying to revive his shaky marriage while all this is going on.  The men in general don’t come across as heroes, which may be historically accurate, but is a bit of a disappointment.  Even John Glenn winds up coming across as sanctimonious by the time the season is over.  It’s frustrating because I found I didn’t like any of the men when I was done watching, and I wanted to like all of them.

And then the show just stops.  When I was watching it, I thought it was supposed to be an eight-episode mini-series.  I wasn’t aware they were planning on more seasons of the show.  But the show has now been cancelled, so that’s irrelevant.  My point is, none of the story arcs are wrapped up satisfactorily.  I get that real life doesn’t wrap itself up neatly at the end of a certain period of time, but I felt like almost everything, was left open.

This isn’t to say I didn’t enjoy the show.  I was caught up in the late 50’s and early 60’s.  The show does a good job of tapping into nostalgia and an important part of American history.  And maybe that’s what made my disappointment so much greater – I wanted to like this show more than I did.

If you are interested in a dramatization of this time period, you will want to check out The Right Stuff for yourself.  But unfortunately, this isn’t must watch television.

Book Review: Waters of Destruction by Leslie Karst (Orchid Isle Mysteries #2)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: characters and plot in a great setting

Cons: All cons destroyed in water

The Bottom Line:

Missing bartender

Suspects at the restaurant

A great getaway

Last Call for the Bartender

The timing for the second Orchid Isle Mystery from Leslie Karst is perfect, coming out as it does just as winter is giving way to spring. It was great to escape to Hawai’i virtually and enjoy the tropical weather. And Waters of Destruction adds a great mystery to the great location. 

In the first book, we met recently retired wives Valerie and Kristen, who enjoyed their vacation in Hilo so much they decided to move there. Now, it’s a few months later and they are trying to settle in and make new friends. 

When Sachiko asks Valerie to fill in as a bartender at the restaurant she manages, Valerie figures that’s a great opportunity to get out of the house a little. The bartender she’s replacing has just vanished, and it’s been a couple of days since anyone’s seen him. When his body turns up, the police start looking at Sachiko because the two of them had a fight recently. Since the bartender disappeared right after a retreat for the staff of the restaurant, Valerie thinks her new coworkers might be better suspects. Can she find a killer?

In the first book, I struggled to get behind Valerie and Kristen’s relationship because they were fighting quite a bit. Here, that’s been resolved, and I enjoyed spending time with both of them. It was also nice to see Sachiko and her boyfriend, Isaac, again as well. And we met several other new characters I’m hoping we will see again. Some of those were suspects this time around, so we will see if any wind up returning or not. This also means I found the suspects believable as I was reading. 

I thought the book was starting a bit on island time, meaning I thought it was getting sidetracked a few times with extraneous things. It turned all of those came into play as the mystery went along. By the end I was hooked, reading pages quickly to see how Valerie was going to solve the case. I didn’t see the ending coming, but the solution made perfect sense when we got there. 

As with the first book, some of the characters use Pigeon English words and phrases as they talk. While it slowed me down, I was always able to understand what they were saying. And I didn’t need to use the glossary at the end of the book to figure anything out. 

Speaking of the end, there are five recipes at the end to enjoy once you’ve finished reading the book. 

Getting to live in a place like Hawai’i is always a dream, at least when I’m on vacation. I’ve got to say, this book continues to make it sound appealing. We also get a bit of the culture of those who live on the island, which is fun. 

Waters of Destruction is another good mystery from the pen of Leslie Karst. If you are wishing for a tropical getaway, this book is the next best thing. 

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book. 

Movie Review: Following Yonder Star

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Charming and thoughtful

Cons: Some elements on the meet cute didn’t work, but it smoothed out after that

The Bottom Line:

Abby gets away

Lands in Vermont and meets Nick

Charms yet serious

“Why Does It Always Have to Be Cookies?”

When I started paying attention to Christmas movies to potentially watch in 2024, I looked for premises that intrigued me or stars I recognized (or both).  Since I was already a fan of the two leads, I recorded Following Yonder Star to watch.  I’m glad I did because I enjoyed it.

Abby (Brooke D’Orsay) has spent years starring as a perfect wife and mother in a popular TV show.  Now that the show is over, she is trying to find what is next in her life.  Unfortunately, she gets a shock right before Christmas when she discovers that her ex-husband (and her former on-screen husband) is getting remarried.  The news causes her to have a meltdown, and she decides she needs an escape.

That takes her across the country to Vermont.  Through a mix-up, she finds herself taking the last room at a small inn in a town overwhelmed with people looking for a convergence of planets that will create a super star on Christmas Eve.

The owner of this inn is Nick (John Brotherton), a widower who is just trying to keep it all together.  The two begin to bond and open up to each other.  Where will it lead?

The first thing I appreciated about the movie is that it did a great job of balancing Abby’s meltdown.  It sets it up so we can empathize with her, but it is quickly apparent that this isn’t her typical behavior.  She even admits it wasn’t her at her best, but having a human moment.  (And, honestly, her frustration with the clerk was completely understandable even if her behavior was wrong.)  Then, of course, we got to see how this was spun in public opinion.  It was probably my biggest worry going into the film, but the movie does it perfectly.

On the whole, the movie is sweet.  It deals with some heavy subjects, but it never gets too maudlin or sad.  I also appreciated how they brought in others who weren’t caught up in the romance at first to give some perspective.  And the characters were realistic about what the future would hold.

And it isn’t all sadness.  Nick is supposed to be directing the local kids’ Christmas production, and that provides some comic relief.  There are also some romantic moments and beautiful Christmas decorations.

John Brotherton made some acting choices near the beginning that were a bit questionable.  I’m sure they were supposed to show how nervous his character was since he recognized Abby right away, but they just seemed odd.  Frankly, the meet cute of their relationship went on a little longer than I needed period.  But that’s a minor issue.  Once we got past that, the acting was okay, and I really enjoyed the chemistry between the leads.

Yes, the get the predictable third act complications, but they were handled fairly well, and I loved the climax.

One thing that I really appreciated was that faith, specifically Christianity, was a large part of the conversation, and not just in the Christmas pageant.  I didn’t expect this, and it was a refreshing touch to find characters talking about their struggles with that, especially given what life had sent them.

Following Yonder Star is a charming Hallmark Christmas movie.  If that’s what you are looking for, you’ll enjoy this one.

Book Review: The Final Draw by Ridley Pearson (Kingdom Keepers Inheritance #3)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Magical adventures in the Kingdom Keepers universe

Cons: Characters thin as always

The Bottom Line:

A final battle?

If so, fans will enjoy it

Lots of adventure

The Kingdom Kids Face Their Final Battle

It’s come down to this.  After countless adventures as the Kingdom Keepers, and now their kids, face off against the Overtakers, there will be one final batter for control of the Disney parks.  Fans will want to pick up and see where things go in The Final Draw.

If that last paragraph made no sense to you, then this book isn’t for you…yet.  This is the final adventure in a saga that has spanned three series and over a dozen books.  There is lots of backstory and mythology that you are not going to follow if you jump in here.

But, so you’ll have some context here, the series has followed five ordinary kids who were the model for interactive holographic hosts in the Disney parks.  They discovered that it came with an unexpected ability, to cross over to the parks as their holograms in their sleep.  Sounds sweet, right?  It might be except for their other discovery.  All the characters in the movies we love?  They are real, and the villains have formed a group called the Overtakers who are trying to take over the magic in the parks and use it for evil.  And these teens, known as the Kingdom Keepers, are the only defense against this happening.

This is the third book in the Inheritance spin off series that focuses on the kids of the original Keepers as they find themselves fighting the villains 20 years in the future.

This book opens with Eli Finn and his friends, who have dubbed themselves the Kingdom Kids, are in Disney World’s Magic Kingdom for the fireworks on Friday night.  But the fireworks all go off at once.  And then the kids make another discovery – all the villains and henchmen have vanished from the various rides in the parks.  Can they figure out the riddle they got from Tiana in time to save the magic?  Or will it be lost for good?

As I said earlier, if you’ve read the series this far, you’ll definitely want to pick up this book to see how things turn out for our characters.  While the original Kingdom Keepers have much smaller roles in this book than they had in the first two books in this trilogy, I really liked the scenes that Eli got with his parents.  In fact, I found a couple scenes with them to be better than much of what we get in a typical middle grade book.  They are very well done.

As is always the case with these books, I find the characters to be fairly thin.  But I wouldn’t have minded as a kid, and I’m sure today’s kids won’t mind either.

The plot allows for plenty of tense scenes in deserted Disney theme parks, which is always a highlight.  We get some time in various attractions as well.  As a Disnerd, these are the reasons I pick up and enjoy the books.

The story itself holds up fairly well.  Honestly, with these books, it is easier to go along for the ride than try to keep track of all the logic and plot twists.  Internally, the stories are consistent, but it’s the logic when you try to incorporate this into the rest of the world that doesn’t quite work for me.  As a kid, I wouldn’t have tried to be that logical about things, so just sit back and enjoy.

Author Ridley Pearson has stated that this will be his last story in the Kingdom Keepers universe.  But I feel like he said that several years ago before he started this trilogy.  So we’ll see if that stays true or not.

Whether this turns out to be our last adventure or not, The Final Draw is a fun one.

Be sure to check out the rest of the Kingdom Keepers saga.

Movie Review: Love in Zion National - A National Park Romance

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Beautiful scenery, got caught up in story

Cons: Poor script and acting

The Bottom Line:

Curator, Zion

Romance, beautiful scen’ry

Mostly average

Average Love Story in Beautiful Location

When I spotted that Hallmark was doing some romance movies set in National Parks, I was intrigued.  I haven’t watch very many of their romances, but I love the National Parks.  Love in Zion National is one of these movies.  The locations are stunning, but the movie itself was just okay.

The story follows Lauren (Cindy Busby), a curate at a museum in Denver.  The museum has just had three Native American vases donated to them in a will.  Unfortunately, the heir wants to contest the will and get those vases for his own collection.  However, Lauren thinks there might be a fourth, so she sets off to where the first three were found – Zion National Park.

While she is there, park ranger Adam Proudstar (David Gridley) is assigned to assist her.  They don’t get off to the best start, but as they spend time together, the two start to trust each other.  Will they find the last vases?

As I already said, the scenery was stunning.  The movie was apparently filmed on location.  Granted, I haven’t been to Zion in decades, but it looked right to me.  If it wasn’t filmed there, it was filmed nearby.  If you just watch the movie for the visuals, you’ll be rewarded.

Not that the story isn’t enjoyable.  I got caught up in it, and I even found a plot complication or two I wasn’t expecting early on.  Yes, the majority was still predictable, but in a charming way.

For a romance, I did find that aspect a little rough.  I wish the script had paid more attention to the relationship instead of focusing on the story with the vases.

The movie does come with a heavy dose of Hallmark cheese.  The script needed some work to get rid of some cheesy lines and moments.  And the actors didn’t help.  Yes, sometimes there wasn’t much they could do with the lines they were given.  But other times, the acting was a little below average.

Still, I found myself tearing up a little at the ending.  Yes, I got caught up in the story and rooting for the characters.

Love in Zion National is strictly for Hallmark movie fans.  They will enjoy it while still finding the flaws in it.

The movie is included in the Hallmark Travel and Romance DVD set.

March 22nd's Weekly TV Thoughts

Obviously, I'm not as up to date on my TV watching as I would normally be.  And neither of my Monday shows were on this week.  Anyway, I'll have some serious catching up to do for next week's edition.

Tracker – That’s the kind of episode I like.  Interesting twists.  Real danger without getting outrageous or dark.  I hope this is a sign of things to come.  Okay, so I’m not sure how believable it really was, but it was fun, and that’s mainly what I’m looking for.

 Suits LA – Enjoying the cameos by real celebrities on the show, and this week’s made me laugh pretty hard.  Especially the reference to Sigourney Weaver in Galaxy Quest since I quote that line all the time.  Seeing Harvey was cool, but his scenes weren’t that great.  The flashback isn’t adding much.  They really are having the same probably they had with Pearson, which is trying to do too much too quickly and not really introducing us to any characters.  Makes it hard to truly care.

 Deal or No Deal Island – I’m a little surprised at the results of the game.  But it proves that the deal or no deal is all about luck.  There really is no skill involved.  And I’m not at all surprised with where they left us for the cliffhanger.  Honestly, I’m not sure how they will draw the final out for a full hour, so it had to end there.

Ornament Review: Timon's Dancing Diversion

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Captures a funny moment from The Lion King

Cons: Sound would have made this great ornament even better

The Bottom Line:

Timon starts hula

A funny movie moment

Captured for your tree

Timon Dances onto Your Tree

In honor of The Lion King’s 30th anniversary in 2024, Hallmark released a couple of ornaments. While I didn’t get the regular line ornament, I did wind up getting the limited-edition ornament, Timon’s Dancing Diversion, after Christmas. 

This ornament captures the moment that Timon distracts the hyenas so Simba and Nala can sneak in and rally the lionesses. Yes, Pumba was part of the distraction as well, but this ornament focuses on Timon. 

And it’s such a funny moment. Timon is dressed up in a grass skit and a lei. He's even got a flower in his hair. Where he got them in the desert the pride lands have turned into I have no idea. But let’s not let logic get in the way of the laugh. His arms are out, and he’s ready to start dancing and singing to get everyone’s attention. 

No, this is not one of Hallmarks magic ornaments. There’s no sound or light or anything like that. It’s the only thing that would make this ornament better for me. 

It’s a very specific moment and any fan of the movie will recognize it immediately. And they will love this ornament. I’m a little surprised my store still had it after Christmas, in fact. I was very tempted to get it earlier, but I keep telling myself I’m cutting back on ornaments. That’s the only reason I didn’t pick it up before Christmas. 

Timon is standing on a circle of ground, so you can use this ornament as year-round decoration if you so desire. 

When you go to hang him on your tree, you’ll find that he hangs straight. 

Yes, I’m glad I added Timon’s Dancing Diversion to my collection. If you are a fan of the movie and didn’t snag this ornament, you’ll be glad you gave it a second chance. 

Movie Review: Around the World in 80 Days (1956)

Stars: 2 out of 5

Pros: A few fun moments

Cons: Not enough to make up for the flaws in this epic

The Bottom Line:

Race around the world

Does not improve on the book

So not worth watching

“You Are Going Traveling?”  “Around the World.”  “Then You Won’t Be Here for Breakfast.”

Even though I wasn’t a huge fan of the book Around the World in Eighty Days when I read it, I decided to give the 1956 movie version a chance.  The three-hour run time did give me pause, but I sat down to watch it anyway.  Sadly, it disappointed.

The movie sets out to tell the same story as the book.  In the 1870’s, an English gentleman, Phileas Fogg (David Niven), sets out with his new valet Passepartout (Cantinflas) to travel around the world in eighty days after he makes a wager that he can do it with other members of his gentlemen’s club.  Along the way, he catches the attention of Inspector Fix (Robert Newton) who thinks Fogg is on the run after having robbed a bank.  Meanwhile, in India, he rescues the Princess Aouda (Shirley MacLaine) and she joins their party.  But will he make it back in time to win?

Changing a book when it is made into a movie is nothing new, and this book makes two big changes within the first 30 minutes as Fogg and Passepartout travel by hot air balloon and Passepartout winds up in a bull fight.  After that, it starts to stick closer to the book, for better or worse.

I never felt like I got to know the characters in the book, and that stays true here in the movie.  Meanwhile, Princess Aouda’s hero worship of Fogg is over the top.  Again, this was true in the book, but I wish they’d done something different with her character.

My bigger issue with the movie is the pacing.  Yes, this is an epic journal, but too much of it is taken up with scenery shots with background music.  They could have shortened the movie by a good twenty to thirty minutes by shortening these scenes.  Yes, some of it was good, but they didn’t need to go on as long as it did.

If you are familiar with stars of the age, you’ll enjoy seeing some of them pop up as minor characters.

Keep in mind that none of my complaints about the film are aimed at any of the actors.  The two leads get the most material, and they have some fun along the way with it.  The rest of the cast is fine.  It’s the script that doesn’t give them enough to work with and cause the issues.

I still like the premise of the story, but the execution leaves much to be desired.  Sadly, Around the World in Eighty Days doesn’t improve on it at all as a movie.

Book Review: Homicide in the Indian Hills by Erica Ruth Neubauer (Jane Wunderly Mysteries #6)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Jane, Redvers, and an intriguing mystery

Cons: A couple minor things

The Bottom Line:

When new friend murdered

Jane must hunt for the killer

Trip to India

Death by Tiger? Or Murder?

It’s been fun traveling the world with Jane Wunderly in 1927. Each book has found her in a different country (or two) as she navigated murder and mayhem. She’s landed in India for her sixth case, and Homicide in the Indian Hills is another fun adventure. 

At the end of the previous book, Jane and Redvers got married. But they are right off on his next assignment for the British Crown, making their trip to India a working honeymoon. Redvers is supposed to be attending meetings to help facilitate a meeting coming next year about the future governance of the country. He’s not looking forward to the long, boring days, but it leaves Jane free to explore on her own. 

She quickly makes friends with Gretchen, a British woman who has been living in the country for years, and she’s looking forward to getting to know her better. That is until Gretchen is found dead. The official story is that she died of a tiger attack, but after a quick look at the body, Redvers has a different verdict – murder. Can the two of them find out what happened?

I’ll admit that I know very little about India, so everything about the location was new and fun to me. I shared Jane’s fear of encountering some of the wildlife in its native habitat, which helped put me in the story. While I suspect most of the characters we meet (if not all) are fictional, we do get references to some real people in the book. 

With Jane and Redvers as the only returning characters (again), there is lots of time for the new characters to grow on us. I found them a mixed bag. Some really got a chance to shine while others didn’t really stand out from each other. Still, these new characters did make me care about the story. Jane and Redvers are their normal engaging selves, and they really got to shine here. I enjoyed spending time with them as always. 

And, since Jane and Redvers are the only returning characters, you could jump in here without missing a beat. There are only vague references to their previous adventures. 

There was a lot in the story, and something was always happening to keep me compelled and wondering what exactly was going on. Things reach a tense and logical climax. 

A year and a half ago, we got an ebook only Christmas novella with the characters. Those who haven’t read it yet will be happy to find that it is included as a bonus at the end of this novel. 

If you are looking for a little travel along with your historical murder, book some time with Jane. Homicide in the Indian Hills will keep you turning pages. 

Enjoy the rest of the Jane Wunderly Mysteries. 

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book. 

Movie Review: Mystery Island - Winner Takes All

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: The main characters and the setting

Cons: Solution to the mystery is a bit too complex

The Bottom Line:

Return to island

With real and scripted murder

A bit too complex

“The Game of Death Has Arrived.”

Of all the potential franchises that Hallmark has started in the last couple of years, the last one I expected to get a second movie was Mystery Island.  As much as I enjoyed the first movie, I couldn’t see how they could keep the story going.  But they booked us a return visit with Killer Takes All, our second visit to the island.

If you missed the first movie, it revolves around a murder mystery island resort.  The murders are supposed to be fictional as the guests come together to solve a murder that’s been created especially for them.

As this movie opens, the current team running the island consist of police psychologist Emilia Priestly (Elizabeth Henstridge), local detective Jason Trent (Charlie Weber), and Jane Alcott (Kezia Burrows).  Things are on shaky ground, so they’ve come up with a promotion to help out the island.  They’ve gotten a couple of contest winners and a best-selling mystery author to come for the latest game.  But just as they weekend has reached the point where the fictional murder was supposed to take place, an explosion happens outside.  Yep, someone has been murdered for real.  Can our characters figure out which of their guests is an actual killer?

This is a movie you need to pay close attention to.  We’ve got the real murder, but the fictional murder stays as a subplot.  I was glad because I’ve always been curious to see how one of these is supposed to play out.  Honestly, I’m still a little confused about that.  But it’s the subplot, so that’s okay.

While the fictional victim in the game was easy to spot, I was surprised at who the real murder victim was.  There are some good twists early on, and I was very curious to see how everything was going to play out.  Sadly, I felt like they made the solution more complicated than it needed to be.  It works, but they threw a lot of info at us at the end instead of feeding it to us a little at a time giving us a huge exposition dump.  As a result, it wasn’t the strongest mystery movie we’ve gotten.

Having said that, the writing and acting were mostly good.  I had no real complaints in that department.  I got a kick out of seeing Kristin Booth, one of the stars of Hallmark’s long running Signed, Sealed, Delivered franchise, playing a very different character here.

It was fun to see the main characters again.  Their relationships are great.  And the island setting is magnificent.

In the end, Mystery Island: Killer Takes All is not the best that Hallmark has to offer when it comes to their mystery movies.  Still, those who enjoy the channel’s movies will want to watch it.

Book Review: Helpless by Annette Dashofy (Zoe Chambers Mysteries #12)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Page turning story

Cons: Zoe’s scenes slow things down, dark for me

The Bottom Line:

Killer on the loose

Missing girl, tropical storm

Story entertains

Murder and Kidnapping in a Storm

I appreciate it when authors try something new. Annette Dashofy did that in Helpless, the twelfth Zoe Chambers Mystery. While I still enjoyed the book, it wasn’t quite as good as normal for me. 

When the book opens, Pennsylvania is bracing for the remnants of a hurricane. While it will have been downgraded to a tropical storm by then, the area is already saturated with rain, so massive flooding is expected. 

The last thing that Zoe and her husband, Pete, the chief of police, needs is a massive manhunt. But that’s what they get when they are called to a horrific scene. A woman has been murdered and her husband left for dead on their farm while the perpetrator has kidnapped their girl. While Zoe originally goes to the scene because of her job as deputy coroner, she stays to help with the husband, who is a friend of hers. After all, she used to be a paramedic. Can Pete find the missing girl? Or will the perpetrator escape through the storm?

This series is not one of my typical cozies. I know this when I pick them up. Sometimes, that means they get darker than I normally enjoy. This was one of those times. That was one of my issues with the book, and that is definitely on me. 

As always with this series, we split time equally between Pete and Zoe. Normally, I love that and it increases the tension. Ironically enough, in this book that was designed as a more of a thriller than a straight mystery, I found that slowed things down. Zoe’s scenes weren’t as compelling to me as Pete’s scenes. 

Again, this isn’t to say the book is bad. On the contrary, I got caught up in the story and couldn’t wait to pick it up and see exactly what was going to happen next. We reached a satisfying climax at the end. 

As you know, I seem to have an internal timeline when I’m reading a novel. I often catch timeline errors. This book all takes place over the course of one very long day. I didn’t find any errors in the timeline while I was reading. 

The storm was a constant presence as well, making me feel water logged as I was reading. 

All of this was part of the author’s attempt to create more of a thriller than the mysteries she typically writes. Of course, I’d argue that she often sneaks elements of thrillers into her books. I’m sure that helped because the elements really did work to create a thrilling read.

Given all of this, we didn’t see quite as much of the series regulars as we might normally. But Pete and Zoe are still front and center, and I enjoyed spending time with them, and we got a few scenes with others of the regulars. Plus, I found the updates we got on one ongoing storyline very interesting. I can’t wait to see where we go with that. 

Fans of the series will still be Helpless to skip this book. I am glad that I read it even if it isn’t my favorite in the series. 

Be sure to read the rest of the Zoe Chambers Mysteries. 

March 16th's Sunday/Monday Post

Happy Weekend!  Time for this week's Sunday/Monday Post.  I'll be linking up to:

Sunday Post
Sunday Salon
Stacking the Shelves
Mailbox Monday
It's Monday, What Are You Reading?

Thanks for the birthday wishes on last week's post.  I had lots of fun at game day last week.  Even won a couple of games, which often doesn't happen.  And I got lots of birthday wishes.  Between that and my small group from church celebrating a couple of days before, I felt very loved here in town.  Plus, I talked to my family and all of your wishes, which brought the love from out of town, too.

This last week was quiet early on.  We had a winter storm move in and give us some more rain.  And I do mean winter.  Friday, the temperatures never got out of the 40's.  That's cold for us in March.  It can get that low in the winter, but not usual right before spring.

Thursday night and Friday were a change in my routine.  My brother, sister-in-law, niece, and nephew were in town.  I took Friday off.  The original plan was to go to Six Flags Magic Mountain, which is here in town, but we concluded it was too cold and it was supposed to be rainy.  Didn't sound like a fun day, and the park wound up not opening due to the weather.  So they came over to my place and we played games.  It was a bit crowded in my living room with that many of us trying to play, but it worked and we had fun.  They'd headed further south for a few days, but I'll see them again later in the week.

Pun of the Week:

I didn’t want to believe that he was stealing from his job as a road worker.  But when I got home, all the signs were there.

This Past Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post

Monday - TV Show Review: Poker Face - Season 1

Tuesday - Book Review: Snowy with a Chance of Murder by Jessica Fletcher and Barbara Early

Wednesday - Movie Review: Fast and Furious 6

Thursday - Book Review: Shattered Sight by Liz Milliron

Friday - Friday Post featuring Homicide in the Indian Hills

Saturday - Weekly TV Thought

This Coming Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post

Monday - Book Review: Helpless by Annette Dashofy

Tuesday - Movie Review: Mystery Island - Winner Take All

Wednesday - Book Review: Homicide in the Indian Hills by Erica Ruth Neubauer

Thursday - Movie Review: Around the World in 80 Days

Friday - Ornament Review: Timon's Dancing Diversion

Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

Book Haul:

Would you believe I just got one book this week?  I know, it's crazy.  Probably the lowest number I've gotten since the first of the year.

The book I got is the audio version of People of Darkness by Tony Hillerman.  If that's sounding familiar to you, that's might be because I got it from the library back in the fall when I almost took a road trip.  And yes, I snagged it from the library again.  But this time, I am going to actually get it listened to.  Honest!  This is the first of his books that introduces Jim Chee, the other detective in his long running series.  I'm looking forward to finally reading it.

What I'm Currently Reading:

I'm almost half way through The Final Draw by Ridley Pearson.  This is a middle grade fantasy series about kids saving the magic in the Disney Parks from the Disney villains.  It's the last in the latest spin off/sequel series, and the author is claiming it will be the last time we visit this universe.  I feel like he's said that before, so we shall see.  Anyway, I'm enjoying it.  The series isn't the best, but it can be fun.  I'm curious to see if my latest theory is going to prove to be correct.

Think that's it for this weekend.  Have a great week.

March 15th's Weekly TV Thoughts

Tracker – This show had better turn things around fast.  That was way too disturbing to be enjoyable.  And the long talking scenes?  I fast forwarded through them, which means I got through things rather quickly.  Much faster than I had envisioned I would.  It was fun to see Beverly Elliott, however.

Suits LA – I’m still struggling to keep all the supporting characters straight.  They really should have started with a small core cast of characters like they did in the original and slowly brought everyone else in.  But I’m beginning to get pulled into the storylines.  I feel like we have a bit of a different soap opera going on, at least at the moment.  Still not completely sold on it, but it’s getting better.

Rescue: HI Surf – I was proud of Em standing up to her mom.  What a piece of work.  I’m sorry they couldn’t work things out.  And glad Sonny has worked things out with his daughter.  Not sure where some of the other storylines are going.

Night Court – That was a decent reason for a musical.  I was worried about that when I heard they were doing a musical episode.  And there were some fun parts to it.  Overall, an above average episode.

Deal or No Deal Island – David was in a horrible position.  I’m not sure I’d want to be in his position.  But I don’t think he made the right one there at the end.  I’m very curious to see who he picks to play next week.  At this point, I’m guessing we’ve got two episodes left this season?

Shifting Gears – Not a fan of this one overall.  The gummy theme just didn’t work for me.  However, I’ve got to admit, there were some pretty funny moments in this one.  And loved the reference to Home Improvement there at the end.

Wild Cards – Not their best episode.  I did love the character stuff when they were drugged, and I like the fact that they aren’t going to just pretend it never happened.  But overall?  It was just okay.  They didn’t really lean into the supernatural stuff (for better or worse).  Just didn’t quite do it for me.

The Challenge – Okay, I’ll confess, I gave up trying to follow all the twists and turns of who was doing what to whom.  Frankly, neither challenge was that exciting for me.  Or maybe it was that I was so distracted while I was watching the episode.

Survivor – Oh man!  We were so close to getting rid of Sai.  Her arrogance is really, really bugging me.  Hopefully, the tribe swap next week really shakes things up and causing issues for her.  Glad Mary pulled it out.  Her mind games were great.

The Amazing Race – I felt so sorry for that one team at the Intersection.  Watching at team struggle is always hard.  Coming first and leaving last is hard.  But especially to have your fate bound to another team is just rough.  At least it didn’t cost the one team the race.  I’m sure they will bounce back from it.

Happy’s Place – Maybe not the funniest episode of the season, but I really loved that final scene.  Really powerful.  Still some laughs, but I always like it when a sitcom goes serious like that without coming across as preachy.