Secrets of Wildflower Island: a great mystery that will keep you guessing!

Secrets of Wildflower Island by Michelle Files is the first book in the Wildflower Mystery series. The story opens with the Carmichael family, Tim, Roxanne and their 15-year-old twin daughters, Mary and Piper, as they sit down for a family meeting. They own the Wildflower Inn and Café on the island off the coast of California. Tim and Roxanne have employed girls who need a place to stay after leaving a bad home situation or after getting in trouble with the law. The locals affectionately call these girls, “The Wildflowers” and the current girls, Frankie and Anna, are working well with the family and the community. Suddenly everything goes wrong after an earthquake and tidal wave which wreaks havoc on the island and in the aftermath and clean up, the body of a teenage boy is found. Soon accusations are flying, and fingers are pointing at the less than reputable individuals in the community. Will the killer be found? Will the residents be able to restore their once peaceful and beautiful community?

Secrets of Wildflower Island is a fast-paced mystery will no clear clue as who the killer is and the reader will be kept guessing until the very end! It has an abrupt ending but since this book is the first in the series, I assume the aftermath of this case will continue in the next book along with a new mystery. The main characters are the teenage girls at the center of the case and each one has a secret to hide. I enjoyed each character and the tension and fights between the girls feel very realistic. I could easily imagine these girls in a real high school or community somewhere. I highly recommend Secrets of Wildflower Island and I look forward to reading the other books in this series.

Secrets of Wildflower Island

is available in paperback and eBook

Aquaman: an enjoyable superhero film from the DCEU

The DCEU films have been hit and miss for me. I enjoyed Man of Steel (2013) and Wonder Woman (2017) while having a hard time watching Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) and Justice League (2017). So, when Aquaman was announced, I was skeptical and wasn’t in a hurry to see it. The film opened in the USA on December 21, 2018 and went on to gross over $1.1 billion worldwide. It is the highest grossing DCEU film and highest grossing film based on a DC character, surpassing The Dark Knight Rises (2012). Recently, my husband and I were given the opportunity to watch it, so we decided to give it a try. Aquaman was directed by James Wan and stars Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry/Aquaman, Amber Hera as Mera and Patrick Wilson as King Orm. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this film.

The film opens in 1985, Maine as lighthouse keeper, Thomas Curry (played by Temuera Morrison) recuses Atlanna (played by Nicole Kidman) during a storm. Atlanna is queen of Atlantis and is running from an arranged marriage. They fall in love and have a son, Arthur, who can speak to marine life. Too soon, Atlanna’s location is discovered and she is forced to return to her kingdom. Fast forward to the present, several months after the events of Justice League, Arthur has developed the nickname, Aquaman, as he recues others at sea. Meanwhile, his half-brother, King Orm is attempting to unite the kingdom, claim the title of Ocean Master and attack the surface for their atrocities at sea. Mera knows King Orm as Ocean Master would bring terrible consequences for the ocean and the surface that she seeks out Arthur and urges him to find the Trident of Atlan and reclaim his rightful place as king. The trident is a magic artifact, once belonging to Atlantis’s first ruler, and gives the bearer the throne of Atlantis. Through a series of clues, they journey to the deepest parts of the ocean and the center of the earth. Arthur meets Karathen, a mythical leviathan and keeper of the trident. He must prove his worth to obtain the trident and claim control of over the seven seas and defeat Orm.

What I liked about this film, first was Jason Momoa as Arthur. Although I do not find him as attractive as many women do, he was perfect for the role of Arthur. Especially once the traditional Aquaman uniform was revealed, Momoa makes a usually mocked character, look like a formidable opponent. Second, one of my favorite line is Queen Atlanna’s response to Arthur’s question about what can be greater than a kind. She replies, “A hero. A king fights only for his own nation. You fight for everyone.” It acknowledges that Arthur fights for both sides of his heritage: his home on the surface and everything in the ocean. Third, Patrick Wilson as Orm. Wilson plays a terrific villain. He is very convincing as a man who will do anything to see his plan play out. Lastly, the soundtrack was a great addition to the film. From “Ocean to Ocean” by Pitbull to “It’s No Good” by Depeche Mode, the music was powerful for its scenes and added drama to the movie as music should.

There was little that I didn’t like about this movie and if I didn’t like it, it could be overlooked. For instance, there were aspects of Arthur and Mera’s journey to the trident that ignored science. However, it is a superhero film about a man who can speak to marine life. Scientific accuracy really isn’t a strong argument to dislike the movie, as many critics tried to use. I could see why buy seriously it’s a superhero movie, scientific facts are usually stretched. Second, there were times when the dialogue was very juvenile and failed as a joke. In one scene, Arthur and Mera are in the Sahara desert where they find an Atlantean artifact. When Mera realizes they need water to activate it and takes sweat from Arthur’s brow, Arthur responds, “Show-off. I could’ve just peed on it.” Really? Disgusting. However, I realize that the demographic that this movie is written for may have enjoyed this joke. And maybe not but it was a joke that I thought was inappropriate and wasn’t necessary.

In conclusion, Aquaman was surprisingly enjoyable and a movie I would watch again. It had all the elements of a good superhero story as well as an action film. The special effects were good. The battle scenes were enjoyable. I liked Jason Momoa as Aquaman and the overall story. While there were points in the story that were inaccurate and dialogue that seems inappropriate, I still enjoyed this movie. The DCEU has a long way to go to match the caliber of the MCU; however, if they look at the success of Wonder Woman and now Aquaman, they could be a strong competitor. I recommend Aquaman, even if you haven’t seen the rest of the DCEU films, you can enjoy Aquaman.

Aquaman is now available

on DVD, Blu-ray and various streaming services

When Love Comes: a beautiful love story in a gorgeous setting

When Love Comes by J.H. Croix is the first book in the Diamond Creek, Alaska series. Hannah Gray is a young woman who returns to her hometown in Diamond Creek, Alaska. Her parents had died in a tragic plane accident two years prior and she had not been home since; but now it was time to come home. Hannah reconnects with her friends and community when she meets Luke Winters, a local businessman. There is an instant attraction, although both are reluctant to be more than friends. As time goes by, Hannah and Luke cannot resist their attraction and they begin to date until the past reenters Luke’s life. As Hannah is dealing with this surprise, she discovers a secret from her parents’ past. Will she allow her heart to open to Luke? How will she deal with this secret her parents managed to keep quiet all these years?

When Love Comes is a great love story. It was filled with drama and heartwarming moments. It also had great love scenes which were romantic and beautiful. I enjoyed all the characters from Hannah and her struggles to Luke and his own demons and their friends and family were rallying around them. It is a great picture of a community in a beautiful setting. I look forward to reading the other titles in the series. I highly recommend When Love Comes.

When Love Comes

is available in paperback and eBook

Red Flags: what they are and why we shouldn't ignore them

Recently, I have been evaluating relationships and why they end the way the do. Sometimes it is because it has run its course and the individuals in the relationship no longer relate to each other and time begins to separate us. However, some relationships have red flags that something is wrong and we either ignore them or do something about them. Red flags are a signal for a problem that requires attention. It was first used in 1602 in the military as a signal to prepare for battle. It was also first used as a severe weather warning in 1777. Today, it is used in terms of relationships, usually romantic relationships but they can be signs in any relationship. What are the red flags? Why do we ignore them?

As I researched red flags, I found many articles which had long lists of red flags. I found that red flags fall into general categories. First, a lack of communication. The person gives you the silent treatment instead of discussing important issues. Second, he or she is irresponsible, immature and unpredictable. This person might be unable to master or maintain basic life skills. For example, they can’t take care of themselves or their personal space. They also may not be able to manage their finances and other responsibilities. They cannot hold down a job. They may also be unable to take responsibility for their own personal errors in past relationships. They blame others for their relationship failures. They are unable to evaluate why past relationships didn’t work out. Third, there is a lack of trust and they do not respect boundaries. In the terms of a romantic relationship, your significant other is weirdly possessive or secretive about their phone. Fourth, they refuse to spend time with your family or friends and may even try to drive a wedge between your and other significant people in your life. Also related to this red flag, is that your family and friends do not like this person and tell you that something is “off” about the person. Lastly, he or she may have trouble apologizing for even the smallest infractions.

We ignore red flags for many reasons. First, we are afraid that our intuition is wrong. Our gut tells us something is wrong; but we don’t want to admit we could be wrong about the relationships. Whether its pride or a fear of failure, we turn a blind eye to what is wrong. Second, we simply do not trust ourselves. When you sense that something is wrong; but you tell yourself that you’re overreacting and only focusing on the negatives. Third, the red flags seem minor. No one is perfect. No relationship is perfect. So, when we see something wrong, we tell ourselves it’s a minor flaw and ignore it or work around it. Fourth, we are so infatuated with the person that its hard to focus on anything else. Fifth, related with infatuation, we move too quickly into the relationship. The infatuation stage usually lasts between six and twelve months. When we intertwine your life with someone within this time period, it makes it harder to acknowledge red flags. Even when we see red flags, denial can be a powerful force when our infatuation overpowers our intuition. Lastly, we are stuck in wishful thinking. We want our relationships to work so bad that we chose to ignore the red flags. Our fantasies of what the relationship is or could be prevents us from seeing things as they really are.

When I decided to write about red flags and why we ignore them, I was thinking of someone close to me and a relationship that went wrong. While many of these red flags were present in that relationship. I realized that many of these red flags were present in a friendship of mine that recently ended. Looking back over the relationship, I realized that I ignored many of these red flags, either consciously or unconsciously, I chose to believe that my friend would never do anything to hurt me. I now realize that she did, not only did she, but she tried to place the blame on others in my life. She tried to drive a wedge between me and a family member. Why did I ignore these red flags? I think I saw the red flags as minor infractions. Until I realized that they weren’t minor. For example, I told her once that I do not disclose deep, personal information to just anyone and it takes a great deal of trust for me to talk about certain topics. I learned later that she was repeating some of these disclosures to others. People who had no business knowing these details. And when I finally had enough and established a boundary, she chose to shut me out and place the blame of our failed friendship on “my closed-mindedness and narcissism” instead of her own actions.

In conclusion, red flags are there to warn us and they should not be ignored. They signal a problem or issue that needs to be addressed. Their presence in our relationship doesn’t mean the relationship is bad, if we confront and deal with the issue, it could improve the relationship. And they can also signal that you need to end the relationship. In the case of my relationship, I admit my faults in the ending of the friendship and remind myself of what not to do in future friendships. We need to look at the red flags in our relationships, deal with them in the hopes to improve on the relationship and learn from them for future relationships.

Stone Devil Duke: a standard but enjoyable romance novel

Stone Devil Duke by KJ Jackson is the first book in the Hold Your Breath series. It is the love story of Augustine “Aggie” Christopherson and Devin Williams Stephenson, the 12th Duke of Dunway. Aggie is on a quest for revenge after her father is murdered and her older brother goes missing. She is on the hunt for the killers when she meets Devin, who is immediately intrigued by her. Although they resist each other, they soon find themselves drawn together by when a misunderstanding of impropriety. Soon it becomes apparent there is someone out there who wants Aggie dead. As they learn about each other’s past, still on the hunt for those who want to harm Aggie, the two began to heal from the past and fall in love. Will they find the man behind her father’s murder? Is her brother still alive?

Stone Devil Duke is a standard romance novel which was followed the typical formula. The heroine/damsel in distress is a bit unconventional which draws in the roguish man who most of society would have told her to stay away from. That being said, I still enjoyed Stone Devil Duke. I loved the interactions between Aggie and Devin. I like the drama around the mystery of who is behind Aggie’s father’s murder and who is after her. There are two other books, Unmasking the Marquess and My Captain, My Earl, in this series which feature characters we see in this book. I look forward to reading those stories as well. If you are fan of romance novels, you will enjoy Stone Devil Duke.

Stone Devil Duke

is available in paperback and eBook

Unmasking the Marquess and My Captain, My Earl

are also available in paperback and eBook

5 examples of movie adaptations that are better than the books

We’ve all heard the phrase, “the book is better than the movie.” As we all know too that there are usually exceptions to every rule. There are many examples of books being better than their movie adaptations, the Harry Potter series for one. However, there are many examples of movie adaptations being better than the book. While researching this topic, I found many examples of movies that were better than the original book. For this post, I will limit my list to movies that I have both read the book and seen the movies. Here are the 5 movies I believe are better than their literary origins.

First, The Last of the Mohicans (1992) was written and directed by Michael Mann and adapted from James Fenimore Cooper’s American classic, The Last of the Mohicans A Narrative of 1757 (1826). The novel is an 18^th century classic which features the French-Indian War (1754-1763) between England and France. However, it’s also laden down with dense prose and overly detailed descriptions with a plot which moves at a glacial pace. The movie streamlines the action and gets to the heart of the story. Wes Studi brings the sadistic Magua to life that leaps off the screen in a way the character does not in the book. Plus, the musical score helps enhance the drama of this part of American history. The soundtrack with its Gaelic methods and hauntingly beautiful love song, “I Will Find You,” performed by Clannad helps make this movie great.

Second, The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2011-2003) was directed by Peter Jackson and written by Peter Jackson, Barrie M. Osborne, Fran Walsh, and Tim Sanders. It is, of course, adapted by the beloved JRR Tolkien’s beloved trilogy, The Lord of the Rings (1954-1955). While I love the books, and enjoyed for many years before the movies, the movies help streamline the novels into a great cinematic experience and brought me deeper into the characters, their struggles and desperation. I feel in love with the books even more with the imagery of the movies in my head. I could see the horrors of Mordur and the stumbling steps of Frodo as he pushes himself to Mount Doom.  I know many purest fans were furious at the omission and changes made. However, some of the omissions were material that wasn’t necessary to tell the story of the journey to destroy the One Ring. There are whole chapters that a reader could skip and not miss anything related to the main story.

Third, Ready Player One (2018) was directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Zak Penn and Ernest Cline. It is based on the book Ready Player One (2011) by Ernest Cline. While I enjoyed the book, the movie brought the wonder of the virtual world and the devastation of the physical world that Wade, the main protagonist, lives in. Plus, the book had some video games references that only a gamer would know and, in my opinion, bogged down the main story of the search for Halliday’s Easter Egg. I am a novice gamer and I am not familiar with the detailed history of video games so the long chapters of explanation about these games were great for me as information; however, this information was not needed in the movie and would be hard to transform to the screen. There are also long chapters on the history of the mysterious James Halliday which is great as exposition in the book but would bog down a film.

Fourth, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (2008-present) is a great adaptation of the beloved comics. I will admit that I have not read all the comics these characters appear in and I am not a big fan of reading the panel format of comics; however, I grew up watching the superhero cartoons. I have always been a fan of superhero stories. These movies are stunning visuals of these beloved characters’ adventures and builds a world in which they are all connected and fighting a main villain as well as their own specific adventures. The MCU has introduced me to characters that I had not been aware of, for example Black Panther and the Guardians of the Galaxy, and other characters that I only knew in passing, like Iron Man and Thor. Also, I believe the actors who portray these superheroes truly bring life to these characters and add more human dimensions that just straight forward superheroes.

Lastly, P.S. I Love You (2007) was directed by Richard LaGravenese and written by LaGravenese and Steven Rogers. It is based on the novel, P.S. I Love You, by Cecelia Ahern. The book was good; however, the movie had more of an emotional impact as the main character, Holly, deals with the aftermath of her husband, Gerry’s, sudden death and her struggle to move on with her life without him. As with any movie adaptation, changes were made, for example, the book is set in Ireland while the movie is set primarily in New York City. However, the essence of the story is there. I found the movie to be more focused on Holly’s grief as she struggles with life that goes on without her. The world doesn’t stop for her broken heart and she must learn to find her place in the world once again. Plus, Gerard Butler as Gerry doesn’t hurt.

In conclusion, most movie adaptations are poor reflections of their books; however, there are examples of movie adaptations that are better or enhance the magic of the book. A movie can make pages of scene description into a stunning visual which helps the audience focus on the story. Yes, there is more imagination involved when reading a book and visualizing the scene, And I think this is where people either hate or love movie adaptations because the directors and writers’ visualizing of a scene is not the one the reader had. There is a saying “Never judge a book by its movie.” Well, I say never judge a movie by its book. Some good books can be made into great movies.

If She Knew: a great, face-paced murder mystery

If She Knew by Blake Pierce is the first in the Kate Wise mystery series. Kate Wise is a 55-year-old woman who is a year into retirement after 31 years with the FBI. After the daughter of a friend is murder, Kate is drawn back in to find the killer as a favor to her friend. She knows she doesn’t have the same authority now as a retired agent, but she can’t turn down a grieving mother’s request. She quickly learns there is more to the victim than what it first appears. And she chases down new leads, she finds herself feeling the familiar rush and yet worrying about how this will affect her new life as she becomes a grandmother and is considering dating after the tragic death of her husband. The case leads to the victim’s close circle of friends, Kate must find out what secrets the group held before it’s too late. Will she find the killer in time?

If She Knew is a great mystery book! I was able to read the book in about 3 hours. Not because it was a simple read but because it held my attention. With each page turn, more was added to the mystery and I eagerly wanted to see who the killer was. I found Kate to be real as she struggles with how she defines her life now. She longed for the adrenaline of her job with the FBI but she also considered her daughter, her new grandchild and her own personal desires outside the job. The book was fast-paced, with great twists and turns and a shocking end like any great mystery should have. I highly recommend If She Knew!

If She Knew

is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook