TV Show Review: Survivor - Season 49

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Memorable (in a scary way) early on

Cons: Not so memorable later, but still good

The Bottom Line:

More fun Survivor

One memorable moment

Others familiar

Another Enjoyable Season

I am a Survivor addict, having watched since episode one twenty-five and a half years ago.  (Hard to believe it’s been that long.)  I always look forward to each new season, and season 49 was no exception.

As most seasons do these days, this season started out with 18 fresh contestants divided onto three tribes for a 26-day game to see who can outwit, outplay, and outlast the others.  Along the way there will be challenges for rewards and immunity from being voted out at tribal council.

This season included some drama early on that was tense for me at home; I can only imagine how it was for those playing the game.  But it made me very impressed with the crew behind the scenes that we rarely see.

Usually, when the tribes merge in the second half of the game is my favorite part.  This season, it wasn’t.  Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoyed watching it.  But it was fairly easy to see what was going to happen from week to week.  It didn’t help that some of my favorite players were getting voted out as a result.  But I was happy with the winners.

The season ultimately lives or dies on the people.  Even in the second half, I was enjoying the people playing the game, even when they were voting my favorites out.

It’s easy at this point for the seasons to blend into each other.  Outside of a very memorable moment early on, I think season 49 of Survivor will be one of those that fades over time.  But, it will still be fun for fans to watch.

Movie Review: Game of Love

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Pulls you into the story

Cons: Predictable, Audrey at the beginning

The Bottom Line:

Developing game

A predictable romance

Ultimately fine

Will They Win the Game?

When I heard about Game of Love, one of Hallmark’s romance movies, I thought it sounded like it could be fun.  Due to the movies I have on my DVR, it took me a while to get to it.  It had its moments, but it was a typical romance movie overall.

Audrey (Kimberley Sustad) is a board game designer who works best as a team of one.  She’s cut out any hope of romance in her life.  So when her game company decides they are going to create a game about romance, she is less than enthused.  Even worse, she is assigned to work on it with Matthew (Brooks Darnell), a marketing wiz brought in to help the company.  Oh, and they are going to rush it through the design phase so they can submit it to an annual awards competition coming in just four weeks.

You know where the story goes from here.  And the movie does a good job of hitting the expected squares on the way to the finish.  It’s not exactly ground breaking, but it is creative in how they find the elements the game needs as the two leads build their relationship.

Of course, I had so many questions along the way.  Like is there any way a game could be ready in four weeks?  Oh, I get they needed to put pressure on the characters to make the plot work, but I just kept running up against that question.  And there’s the question of how much replay a game like this would get.

Then there’s Audrey.  She’s a self-absorbed jerk at the beginning of the movie.  Yes, I get they were going for some character growth, but I can’t tell you how much I disliked her.  They really needed to tone her down.

The film does manage to keep the Hallmark cheese to a minimum, which is a good thing.

Even with knowing how the movie would end, I got pulled into the story.  I was frustrated with the rushed ending, however.  I feel like they should have given us a bit more than a few rushed realizations to wrap things up.

All this said, I did find myself rooting for Audrey and Michael and caring about the outcome.

If you are looking for a light Hallmark romance, Game of Love is fine.  While it has weaknesses, it is a light if forgettable movie.

January 17th's Weekly TV Thoughts

I know, I know.  I didn't watch all my shows this week.  Too much else going on.  But I'll get to them...eventually.

But here's what I did watch (thanks for Hulu since Disney+ seemed to be down when I tried to watch this first show).

Percy Jackson and the Olympians – I was remembering there was something about Thalia before this story was over.  I don’t think it does what they were thinking it would at the end of the episode, and I think Percy knows it.  I just wish I could remember what it does.  Some nice moments with Annabeth.  I prefer it when they aren’t complete enemies.

Shifting Gears – A very fun episode.  It helped that it didn’t go at all the way I thought it would.  Nice to see Matt not be the biggest grouch.  Usually I agree with him, but still nice to see someone else have that moniker.  And I loved the ending of the review storyline.  I hope we get more with that guy.

January 16th's Friday Post

We've made it to another Friday!  Time for this week's Friday Post, where I will be linking up to:

Book Beginnings
First Line Friday
Friday 56
Book Blogger Hop

This week's quotes for the first three will come from Death of the Party by Carolyn Hart.

This is book sixteen in the Death on Demand series.  Normally, I read this via audiobook, but I read my hardcover copy of this one, so I figured it was time to spotlight it.  The main character is this series, Annie Darling, owns a mystery bookstore on an island off the coast of South Carolina.  

Here's how this particular entry in the series begins:

The room wasn't moving.  Britt Barlow held to that reality, no matter her dizziness.

Moving on to page 56, we find this:

Annie pictured a figure kneeling on the stairs in darkness, heart pounding, hands sweaty, perhaps with a pencil-sized flashlight resting on a tread, illumination a death trap.

I enjoyed this entry.  I'll have my full review up on Tuesday, so I hope you'll come back to see my full thoughts then.

Meanwhile, let's take a look at this week's Book Blogger Hop.  The question is:

Is there a book or series so precious to you that you wouldn’t want it adapted for screen, fearing it might be ruined? If it did happen, would you still find yourself watching it? 

I had to answer this question since I submitted it to the Hop.  (And I will get around to reading everyone's answer at some point.)

For me, it's an easy answer.  As much as I love the Trixie Belden series, I don't want to see it turned into a series.  For those unfamiliar, it's a middle grade mystery series, kind of like the Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew.  You can read more about it here.  Anyway, I love these characters, and I have a very specific view of them in my mind.  Plus, I've seen what various producers and writers have done to other characters, like the Hardys and Nancy, over the years.  I don't want them to do that to Trixie.

And if they did?  Yeah, I'd probably wind up watching.  I would hope to be pleasantly surprised, but I wouldn't hold out much hope.

I'll be curious to read everyone's answers.

Hope you have a great weekend!

Book Review: Heaven Has No Rage by Liz Milliron (Laurel Highlands Mysteries #2)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Strong characters and an entertaining mystery

Cons: One of the storylines was a little weak

The Bottom Line:

Body in a fire

Plus a stalker sending notes

Characters growing

Stalking a Fire

I’ve come to really enjoy Liz Milliron’s books. Since I’m up to date on her two other series for the moment, I’m hoping to really dig into the Laurel Highlands Mysteries this year. Thus, I prioritized Heaven Has No Rage, the second novel in the series, this month. 

This series features Pennsylvania State Trooper Jim Duncan and Assistant Public Defender Sally Castle. They are flirting at starting a relationship, although in the months since the previous book ended, things have been a little awkward between them. 

It’s now the middle of February, and Jim responds to a call in the middle of the night. A local ski resort has had a fire. Sadly, there’s a dead body in the burned-out chalet. Evidence appears to show that the victim didn’t die in the fire. Who was he? How did he die?

Meanwhile, Sally has started getting some weird notes. They are mildly threatening. Does she have a stalker?

This book does a great job of referencing the previous book without spoiling anything. Considering how much Jim and Sally’s relationship was impacted by the last book’s ending, that’s especially impressive. You could jump in here if you wanted without worry, although you’ll appreciate this book most if you’ve read them in order. 

Since these books are more police procedural/traditional, we start right out with the mystery. I did find one of the mysteries better than the other, but I was still drawn in for the climax of both, reading as quickly as I could to see how everything was going to play out. And I was enjoying the book the entire way through. 

There is a strong emphasis on the growing relationship between Jim and Sally, and I’m here for it. The issue in their relationship felt natural, and I was glad they made some progress on it before the end of the book. 

It helps that I really like both of them. They are solid characters you want to see happy. We get to know a some supporting characters from Jim’s life, and I like them as well. And the suspects are intriguing. 

As I said, this is more in the traditional vein than the cozy tradition, so keep that in mind when you pick it up. The book still keeps the violence, language, etc. to a minimum. 

I’m looking forward to watching these characters continue to grow as the series progresses. Heaven Has No Rage is a good second entry that will help hook fans. 

Plan more visits with the rest of the Laurel Highlands Mysteries. 

Movie Review: A Case for the Watchmaker - An Ainsley McGregor Mystery

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Solid mystery, the main trio are fun

Cons: A dose of low budget cheese

The Bottom Line:

A local cold case

Can Ainsley unravel it?

Entertaining film

“Soon, You’re Going to Want to be the Sheriff.”  “No, I Don’t Look Good in Brown.”

If the Ainsley McGregor Mysteries were going to be as long a movie franchise as I hope they will be, I knew at some point, they’d run out of books to base the movies on.  After all, there are only five books in the series (at least as of now).  But I was surprised to find that they are already venturing off on their own with the third movie – A Case of the Watchmaker.  Not that I’m complaining since I really enjoyed it.

It’s been a quiet few months in the Texas town of Sweet River, so quiet that Ainsley McGregor (Candace Cameron Bure) and her friends in her mystery solving book club are getting a bit bored.  That’s when Ainsley suggests looking for a cold case to solve.  When someone suggests a case from in town, it gets a bit awkward since the victim was married to group member Maria (Francisca Dennis).  But Maria decides it is time to learn just what happened to her husband.

The victim, Mark (Stephan Miers), was found in a park in town.  Several things don’t add up for Ainsley, but her brother, police chief Ryan (Robin Dunne), doesn’t want her dredging up the past.  Ainsley’s boyfriend, fire chief Jake Trenton (Aaron Ashmore) is more willing to help out.  Can Ainsley solve the cold case?

Cold case mysteries can be hit or miss for me.  This time around, it worked well for me.  While it had been a few years, it wasn’t long enough ago that there were no stakes.  In fact, most of the people involved were still in town, and I loved watching Ainsley figure out what had happened in the past.  Along the way, there was a fun new character.  I can’t imagine this character will be back, but if it happens, I would be quite happy.

I continue to love the relationship between the three leads.  Ainsley and Ryan have a fun dynamic as siblings, and Jake rounds out the trio wonderfully.  The chemistry between the three leads is perfect, and I can’t help but grin and laugh at the teasing and jokes.

Unfortunately, the movie does have a dose of low budget cheese.  As long as you know to expect it, you’ll be fine.

And yes, there is a connection to watchmaking.  But I’ll leave it for you to discover as you watch.  (Of course, the pun was intended.  This is me.)

I had to laugh at the beginning of the movie.  This “book club” (they solve cases more than they read books) reminds me quite a bit of the real murders club in Candace Cameron Bure’s old Hallmark franchise, the Aurora Teagarden Mysteries.  Maybe it’s just Candace up there leading it that makes me think of it.

A Case of the Watchmaker is another fun, entertaining story.  If you are looking for a light mystery movie, you’ll be glad you sat down to view it.  I hope it’s not too long before we get to visit these characters again.

Book Review: Lime and Punishment by Cathy Wiley (Fatal Food Festival Mysteries #5)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Great characters and mystery and humor

Cons: Not a lemon in sight

The Bottom Line:

Some lime in the keys

Murder on menu again

A fun concoction 

Murder Leaves a Tart Taste on This Festival

Cathy Wiley’s Fatal Food Festival Mysteries has become a favorite series, so when Lime and Punishment, the fifth in the series, crossed my radar, I jumped right in to the latest adventure. 

The series features Jackie Norwood, a former celebrity chef whose career ended thanks to her alcoholism. Now sober, she trying to rebuild her career, and part of that path is as a celebrity guest judge at various food festivals all over the country. 

This time, Jackie and her friends have landed in Maverick Key, one of the smaller of the Florida Keys, for their key lime festival. Everyone is happy to be there since it is February. But Jackie is disturbed to find out that two bar owners have been killed in the last few weeks. She was hoping for a more relaxed festival this time, however, it looks like murder has followed her once again. But it’s only after she runs into her high school band teacher and learns he’s the prime suspect that Jackie decides she must investigate. Can she clear her friend of the crime?

As always, the book does a good job of setting up the story while also reintroducing us to Jackie and the rest of the characters. She has quite the entourage who comes with her in every book. Not that I am complaining since I love them. They each contribute something to the enjoyment of each book, and provide the cozy core we might normally miss in a travel-based series. Yet they are balanced well with the suspects, who are entertaining and keep us guessing. 

The mystery itself is strong. Once things are set up, we are off with plenty of twists and red herrings to keep us guessing. The ending was completely logical and resolved all my questions. 

While you can read this book as a standalone, there are character arcs that are building on what has come before, and you’ll enjoy them best if you’ve read the series in order. But they are all delightful, so that’s not a problem. 

Rounding out the ingredients for this book is the humor. There are lots of puns, which I always love. We’ve also got some character-based humor. 

And I can’t leave out the recipes. We’ve got several, the majority of which are dessert based, but there are some other choices as well. All of them fit the key lime theme.

As I said, this is a favorite series, and Lime and Punishment was well worth the wait. If you have yet to start this series, you’ll want to start following Jackie around the country today. 

Travel to the rest of the Fatal Food Festival Mysteries. 

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book. 

TV Show Review: Rescue HI-Surf - The Complete Series

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Actors and stunts

Cons: Show’s focus on personal lives of characters making mostly bad decisions

The Bottom Line:

Hawaiian lifeguards

Show is more soap opera

Minimal rescue

Beachy Soap Opera

When I was considering new shows to try out in the fall of 2024, I decided to give Rescue: HI-Surf a chance. No, I don’t normally watch those types of shows, but I thought one following life guards on Hawaii would be worth at least checking out. While I did stay for all of season 1, I wasn’t really a fan. 

The show follows part of the life guard crew on the North Shore of O’ahu. There’s Sonny (Robbie Magasiva), the boss who just lost a family member due to drowning and is considering retiring. His second in command is Emily (Arielle Kebbel), who used to date another member of the team, Will (Adam Demos). Just to complicate things, Will is about to get married to someone else, and Emily might not be other him. There’s Laka (Kekoa Kekumano), who wants a promotion even though he’s a bit of a partier. Meanwhile, we have the two rookies, Hina (Zoe Cipres), who was the best in the recruiting class but lost her choice at first assignments to Kainalu (Alex Aiono), who happens to be the mayor’s son. Not that the mayor wants his son out doing something like this. 

Each episode finds the crew doing one of two rescues. Sometimes, it’s as many as three. And there are some creative rescues they have to perform. The problem is, they are over quickly. If that’s what you are tuning in for, which I was, you’ll be disappointed. 

Instead, the show focuses on the soap opera lives of the characters. Each week brings some new complications as they try to figure out their lives. And, honestly, this is where I struggled. I didn’t feel that any of the characters were especially smart. Instead, it felt more like watching a train wreck. No, every week wasn’t that bad, although some were. It was just hard to get that invested. 

I know what you’re saying, and I agree. There was something that drew me to keep coming back. Yes, I was curious how some storylines would play out. I did enjoy the setting. And, at first, I hoped it would get better. If there was a competing show I wanted to watch, I probably would have bailed. But with a quiet Monday, I decided I’d give it a season. Since the show wrapped up multiple storylines, leaving only a few dangling, I feel like I can walk away, which is a good thing since the show wasn’t renewed for a second season.  If it had come back, I wouldn’t have. 

Now, keep in mind I’m not blaming the actors. They are all great at bringing their characters to life. And the stunts used for the rescues are also entertaining. 

Season 1 consisted of 19 episodes. 

I don’t regret watching the first season of Rescue: HI-Surf. But I also have no desire to find out what happens to the characters next. I can close that chapter of my TV watching and find something else to fill that time with. 

January 11th's Sunday/Monday Post

Welcome to the weekend and another Sunday/Monday Post.  I will be linking up to:

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

The plumber came on Monday and got everything fixed.  There's still a hole in my closet, but someone is coming Sunday afternoon to take care of that.  It's nice to have that taken care of.

We've gotten a break from the rain.  Of course, the sun brought his friend wind with him.  And it's not exactly warm.  Yes, I get that my idea of cold isn't what the rest of the country views as cold, but you've got to admit that a wind makes anything feel colder.

Fortunately, the wind wasn't blowing Friday night.  I have a friend who volunteers at the LA Zoo, and she gets complementary tickets to their Zoo Lights.  This was the last weekend of the event, and we went.  They displays are pretty and fun to look at.  It was cold (at least for us), but fun.  Then we went out to dinner afterwards.

And today is the first game day my friends host for 2026.  Really looking forward to it!

I've been remiss in mentioning a blog milestone.  Over Christmas, I hit 6 million total lifetime hits on my blog, at least according to Blogger's hit counter.  Now you may be thinking, "Mark, that's amazing since you just hit 5 million earlier in 2025."  And I completely agree with you.  I suspect that it is counting bots that are constantly crawling over my blog, especially when you look at some of the random entries that spike for a week or two for no explainable reason.  But I'm not going to point that out.  I'm just going to bask in the glow of crossing another milestone.

Punny Holiday of the Week:

Jan 13 – Let your enthusiasm bubble up for Rubber Ducky Day

This Past Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post

Monday - Favorite Books of 2025

Tuesday - Book Review: Whine and Dine by Marc Jedel

Wednesday - Movie Review: Love in Aruba

Thursday - Book Review: A Spy in Saigon by Nancy Cole Silverman

Friday - Friday Post featuring Lime and Punishment

Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

This Coming Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post

Monday - TV Show Review: Rescue HI Surf

Tuesday - Book Review: Lime and Punishment by Cathy Wiley

Wednesday - Movie Review: A Case for the Watchmaker

Thursday - Book Review: Heaven Has No Rage by Liz Milliron

Friday - Friday Post featuring Death of the Party

Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

Book Haul:

Got four books to tell you about this week.

Up first is my pre-ordered copy of Fire Must Burn, the newest Sparks and Bainbridge Mystery from Allison Montclair.  This series is set in London just after World War II, and features two women who open a matchmaking service.  Of course, their clients get them involved in mysteries, plus there are some strong ongoing storylines.  I'm very behind in the series.  I should work on catching up this year.  (Among other series I should be focusing on.) Of course, there's one book in the series I still don't have, but it's not the next I need to read, so I guess I have no excuse for not reading more.

Up next is Big F@!king Deal by Lawrence Allan.  It's his second Jimmy Cooper Mystery about a former child star, recovering alcoholic, and PI.  As you can tell from the title, it's not a cozy, but I loved the first one, and I'm looking forward to this one.

Today, author Heather Day Gilbert put the bundle of her Exotic Pet Sitter Mysteries on sale.  I already had the first two books, but for 99 cents, I figured I would snag this so I would have book three as well.  Now, I have no excuse not to start the series, right?  Actually, I've grabbed quite a few of this author's ebooks over the years when they've been on sale.  I really need to read some of them.

Finally, I went to the library for Something Whiskered, the latest Cat in the Stacks Mystery from Miranda James.  This used to be a favorite series, but it's slipped recently.  Still, I was curious enough about what happens in this book to get it from the library.  We'll see what I think of it.

What I'm Currently Reading:

At the moment, I'm working on Fablehaven by Brandon Mull.  As I told you last week, my nephew wants me to read it badly enough he gave it to me for Christmas.  I'm enjoying it so far.  Hoped I would get more time to read it today, but I slept it.  So, it's looking like I will wind up finishing it on Monday.

I think next up for me will be Michelangelo's Ghost by Gigi Pandian.  I've had this one for a while, but I've been reading her newest series instead of this one.  It's time I go back and read more in it.  This one takes Jaya Jones, the main character, to Italy.  Should be fun.

That's it for me.  Have a great week!

January 10th's Weekly TV Thoughts

Percy Jackson and the Olympians – I’m a bit confused by the episode title because someone did get the fleece.  I am very curious to see how we get it back because I remember we do.  Loved Anabeth in this episode.  And how stuff was filmed while they were in the cave.

Shifting Gears – Eve at least got mentioned, so I guess she isn’t completely gone.  Overall, a fun episode.  I figured the vase wouldn’t last through the episode. Seriously, who would put something breakable on a table like that? 

The Traitors – Normally, I “binge” this show (and I mean watch it one episode a night), and I’m reminded why.  The episode enders are brutal!  But since Pod Meets World is going to cover this season live, I thought I’d dig in.  Three episodes in a night is a lot.  I was surprised they got out a traitor already.  And the secret one, too.  I wonder how the Faithful will react to learning no one knew she was one.  This is looking to be an interesting season.