Friday, March 9, 2018

📘🎥Friday's Film Adaptation🎥📘: Death of a Hollow Man by Caroline Graham


Summary:
Discover the novels that inspired the hit ITV series Midsomer Murders, seen and loved by millions.

Death of a Hollow Man is the second instalment in the Midsomer Murders series, featuring Detective Chief Inspector Barnaby with an audience of 10.34 million. Featuring an exclusive foreword by John Nettles, ITV's DCI Tom Barnaby. Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, Ann Granger and James Runcie's The Grantchester Mysteries.

Backstage nerves are fraying, and revenge is on its way. As Causton Amateur Dramatic Society prepares for the opening night of Amadeus, in the wings Esslyn Carmichael suspects his wife is having an affair with the leading man. And where better to settle scores than the stage?

Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby expects an evening of entertainment, attending only to show support for his wife. But when someone turns Esslyn's final grand gesture into a gruesome coup de theatre, Barnaby's investigation suddenly begins.

Film
C.I. Barnaby donates time to the local amateur dramatic society when his wife Joyce is cast in a revival of "Amadeus," but complications arise when the leading man is murdered onstage.

Release Date: March 29, 1998
Release Time: 102 minutes

Cast:
John Nettles as DCI Tom Barnaby
Daniel Casey as Sgt. Gavin Troy
Jane Wymark as Joyce Barnaby
Laura Howard as Cully Barnaby
Barry Jackson as Dr. Bullard
Denyse Alexander as Agnes Gray
Janine Duvitski as Deirdre Tibbs
Ian Fitzgibbon as David Smy
Geoffrey Hutchings as Colin Smy
Bernard Hepton as Harold Winstanley
Angela Pleasence as Doris Winstanley
Sarah Badel as Rosa Carmichael
Ed Waters as Nicholas Bentley
Nicholas Woodeson as Avery Phillips (as Nick Woodeson)
Richard Huw as Tim Young
Nicholas Le Prevost as Esslyn Carmichael
Debra Stephenson as Kitty Carmichael
Vivienne Moore as Jenny Evers
John Cater as Mr. Tibbs
Hilary Crane as Mrs. Maddox
Robert McIntosh as Charles Makepeace
Patricia Heneghan as Peggy Marshall
Michael Cronin as Emperor Joseph
Elizabeth Tyrrell as Elderly Lady
Neil Conrich as Police Constable Angel
Megan Fisher as WPC Hitchens
Eunice Roberts as TV Announcer
Sonya Walger as Becky Smith

Author Bio:
Caroline Graham is an English playwright, screenwriter and novelist. She attended the Open University, and received a degree in writing for the theatre from the University of Birmingham.


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Review Tour: Pretty in Pink by Jay Northcote

Title: Pretty in Pink
Author: Jay Northcote
Series: Housemates #6
Genre: M/M Romance
Release Date: February 21, 2018
Cover Design: Garrett Leigh at Black Jazz Design
Summary:
Ryan isn't looking for a relationship with a guy--and Johnny isn't looking for a relationship at all.

Ryan's always been attracted to tall, leggy blondes--normally of the female variety. When Johnny catches his eye at a party, Ryan's interest is piqued even though he's never been with a guy before. The attraction is mutual, and the amazing night that follows opens Ryan's eyes to his bisexuality.

Experience has taught Johnny that love hurts. Staying single is safer, and there's no need for complicated relationships when hooking up is easy. When he moves in next door to Ryan, they're both interested in picking up where they left off, and it seems like an ideal arrangement: convenient, mutually satisfying, and with no strings attached.

Despite their best intentions to keep things casual, they develop an emotional connection alongside the physical one. Both begin to want more from the relationship but are afraid to admit it. If they're going to work things out, they need to start being honest--first with themselves, and then with each other.

👀Although this book is part of the Housemates series, it has new main characters, a satisfying happy ending, and can be read as a standalone.👀


When Ryan spots a blonde across the room at a party he's obviously interested when he realizes said blonde is a man he's surprisingly intrigued.  Having never been with a man or really given male persuasion severe thought he is open to the idea.  After an amazing night with Johnny, Ryan accepts his bisexuality even if he's not quite ready to tell the world.  Johnny has been burned by love before and made a personal pact with himself to only have fun but when he hooks up with Ryan they find they can't exactly stay away from each other and come to a acquaintances with benefits kind of agreement.  But as the encounters continue, will either man let the other into his heart or will their little agreement lead to huge heartbreak?

I want to start out by saying that Pretty in Pink is book 6 in Jay Northcote's Housemates series but it is a standalone and could be read out of order.  I prefer to read a series in order because secondary characters tend to pop up and I just think a tale flows better knowing their pasts, however time didn't work in my favor this time and I had to start with Pretty.  I was not lost, it is definitely a standalone, there were a couple of characters/couples that I had a feeling were subjects of previous installments but knowing their journey really was not an integral part so starting anywhere in this series is just fine😊.

I say it quite often on my blog when reviewing but repeating it for different stories doesn't make it any less true, so here it goes.  Ryan is an absolute doll and Johnny might be a bit of a pain at times but they really are suited together but making them see that had me warring internally between wrapping them up in multiple layers of bubblewrap to keep them safe and let them know they are loved and whacking them upside the head to make them see sense and that what's best is right in front of them.

For those who are not a huge fan of lack of communication in their stories may find some fault with Pretty in Pink and to be perfectly honest its not always my favorite element either but when done right it can be brilliant and that is exactly what the author has done here.  Having said that, it doesn't mean I didn't scream at Johnny a few times but given his past try at a relationship I could kind of understand his fear of opening his heart again.

Whether Ryan or Johnny communicated or not isn't really the point, sometimes things happen for a reason and we just aren't meant to discover something until the right time.  Lessons learned and all that, which is how I see this book and Johnny's journey, he needed to lose something to realize it was missing.  Simply put, Pretty in Pink is a lovely read that I hated to put down when it came time for pesky, inconsequential errands such as eating and sleeping.  After reading Pretty, I know that I will most certainly be going back and reading the first five entries in Jay Northcote's Housemates series.

RATING: 



Author Bio:
Jay lives just outside Bristol in the West of England. He comes from a family of writers, but always used to believe that the gene for fiction writing had passed him by. He spent years only ever writing emails, articles, or website content.

One day, Jay decided to try and write a short story—just to see if he could—and found it rather addictive. He hasn’t stopped writing since.

Jay writes contemporary romance about men who fall in love with other men. He has five books published by Dreamspinner Press, and also self-publishes under the imprint Jaybird Press. Many of his books are now available as audiobooks.

Jay is transgender and was formerly known as she/her.


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EMAIL: jaynorthcote@gmail.com



Pretty in Pink #6

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Release Tour: Broken Trust by CB Clark

Title: Broken Trust
Author: CB Clark
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Release Date: March 5, 2018
Publisher: Wild Rose Press
Summary:
After five years of hell with an abusive husband, Natasha Hartford vows never to trust another man. Then she stumbles onto a murder scene and meets sexy, stubborn Homicide Detective Chase Brandon, a take-no-prisoners tough guy who’ll settle for nothing less than the truth. Sparks fly, but Chase’s suspicions and Natasha’s innate distrust block the way to happiness.

The detective struggles with his own troubled past and is determined to find the truth behind the shadows dimming Natasha's eyes. As more murders occur and a possible connection to her ex-husband appears, Chase fears her life is in danger.

Natasha and Chase race to find the killer before he strikes again. Their survival depends on their willingness to overcome their mistrust of one another. Will they overcome their fears and find love again?


The thick carpet muted the tapping of her high heels as she fled through the reception area and down the hall to the elevators.

She glanced down a short corridor on her left and stumbled to a stop. How had she missed the ropes of yellow police tape blocking the entry to one of the rooms? Her breath hitched in her throat. That must be where the grisly crime had occurred. The shocking truth struck her like a blow—Jonas Waverley was dead. Murdered in cold blood. She staggered and grabbed onto the wall.

“Ms. Hartford, wait.”

She glanced back.

Detective Brandon strode along the corridor toward her, his long legs eating up the distance, a determined expression on his face.

Her earlier spurt of courage vanished, and she whirled and dashed toward the bank of elevators. Chest heaving, heart pounding, she hit the button for the elevator, jabbing it again and again.

“Look, I’m sorry,” he said, catching up. “I was hard on you, but I’m just doing my job. A man was murdered.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I have to examine every possible lead, question every person of interest.”

She shuddered and stabbed the down button again. Person of interest? Her? She was a person of interest in a murder investigation?

Author Bio:
Broken Trust is award-winning author, C.B. Clark’s fourth romantic suspense novel published by The Wild Rose Press. My Brother’s Sins and Cherished Secrets were released in 2016, and Bitter Legacy in 2017. C.B. has always loved reading, especially romances, but it wasn’t until she lost her voice for a year that she considered writing her own romantic suspense stories. She grew up in Canada’s Northwest Territories and Yukon. Graduating with a degree in Anthropology and Archaeology, she has worked as an archaeologist and an educator. She enjoys hiking, canoeing, and snowshoeing with her husband and dog near her home in the wilderness of central British Columbia.


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