The Promise of Palm Grove
Amish Brides of Pinecraft, Book One
by Shelly Shepard Gray
Publisher: Avon Inspire
Pub. Date: January 27, 2015
ISBN: 978-0062337702
Pages: 228
Blog Tour: http://litfusegroup.com/author/sgray
Buy Link: http://bit.ly/1aQJuw2

Review:

I'm not going into details about my weekend, but I was very busy and almost forgot about reading The Promise of Palm Grove by Shelly Shepard Gray. I was due to post my review today, so I made a pot of coffee and read the entire book this morning.

The Promise of Palm Grove centers on a young Amish woman, Leona, who traveled from Ohio to Florida with her cousin Sara and her fiance’s sister Mattie. Ever since she got engaged to Edmund, her entire family & community has become obsessed with her upcoming wedding. She was thrilled when she was invited on a mini-vacation to the Amish community in Pinecraft, Florida as it is a way for her to relieve the stress of planning a wedding. Well, at least that is what she told Mattie and Sara, but the truth is that she need to take a break from Edmund, whom can be a little controlling at times.

The one thing Leona didn't plan on was meeting the handsome Zachary Kaufmann, a resident of Pinecraft, whom she takes an instant liking to. Zachary has the same affection for Leona and enjoys spending time with her.

Now Leona must decide whether or not to return to Ohio and marry Edmund or stay here in Pinecraft for a possible life with Zachary.

Something Wicked
Director: Darin Scott
Starring: Shantel Van Santen, John Robinson, Julian Morris, James Patrick Stuart and Britney Murphy
Studio: ARC Entertainment
Release Date: March 17, 2015
Retail: $15.98
ASIN: B00RDEITYU
Running Time: 91 minutes
Rating: R
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

Arriving on DVD this week from ARC Entertainment is the long awaited release of Britney Murphy's (Clueless, 8 Mile) final movie, Something Wicked. Directed by Darin Scott, the film also stars Shantel Van Santen (Gang Related, Final Destination), John Robinson (Transformers, Lords of Dogtown), Julian Morris (The New Girl, Once Upon a Time) and James Patrick Stuart (Supernatural, Hot in Cleveland). There are no extras or special features on the DVD.

Filmed in 2009, Something Wicked centers on a young couple Christine (played by Shantel Van Santen) & her fiance James (played by John Robinson), whom are the only survivors of the car crash that killed her parents. Traumatized by the events, her sister, Susan (played by Britney Murphy) and her brother-in-law, Bill (played by James Patrick Stuart), try to help her pick up the pieces, but it isn't easy when somebody starts stalking Christine.

Everybody in Christine's life becomes a prime suspect, but as the bodies start piling up, she must dig deep into her past to unveil a deep forgotten secret.

Teeth & Blood
Director: Al Franklin & Pamela J. Richardson
Starring: Glen Plummer, Michelle Van Der Water, Sean Christopher
Studio: RLJ Entertainment
Release Date: March 10, 2014
Retail: $27.97
ASIN: B00QHCKHJE
Running Time: 101 minutes
Rating: Not Rated
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

Now available to own on DVD and Digital Video from RLJ Entertainment is the horror flick Teeth & Blood. Directed by Al Franklin & Pamela J. Richardson, the film stars Glen Plummer (Saw II), Danielle Vega (Hulu's "East Los High"), King Kedar (Preacher's Kid) and Michelle Van Der Water (VH1's "Single Ladies").  There are no special features or extras on the DVD.

Teeth & Blood takes place on the "Chapel Blood" movie set, a film that is being directed by Vincent Augustine (played by Glenn Plummer). It seems that some of the film's profits will be donated to the city for a new synthetic blood bank, the current blood donation supply for the city is awfully low.

After the film's star Elizabeth Thornrich (played by Steffinnie Phrommany) is murdered on the set, the body disappears from the corner's van. This gets the attention of detectives Mike Hung (played by Sean Hutchinson) and Sasha Colfax (played by Michelle Van Der Water), who are assigned to the case. They plan on solving the case before the press find out about the murder.

Halo: Nightfall
Director: Sergio Mimica-Gezzan
Starring: Mike Colter, Steven Waddington, Christina Chong
Studio: Microsoft Studios
Release Date: March 17, 2015
Retail: $20.99
ASIN: B00QSHWZA2
Running Time: 98 minutes
Rating: TV-14
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

Arriving on DVD & Blu-ray this week from Microsoft Studios is Halo: Nightfall, a live-action Xbox Originals web-series that debuted last year. Directed by Sergio Mimica-Gezzan, it starred Christina Chong, Christian Contrearas, Luke Neal, Alexander Bhat, Jennie Gruner, Eric Kofi Abrefa and Alexis Rodney. Special Features include Over 35 Minutes Of Exclusive Behind The Scenes Footage and Unlock Over 17 Minutes Of Second Story Extras, Including Highly Confidential ONI Eyes Transmissions To Discover More About Halo:Nightfall.

Halo: Nightfall is based on the best-selling first-person shooter video game franchise. It centers on Jameson Locke (played by Mike Colter). He is an agent of the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI), the Earth's most powerful military branch.

After investigating what sounds like terrorist chatter on the distant planet Sedra, Agent Locke and his team are caught in a biological attack. Only his team of skilled soldiers can stop the new threat, but they must first cross the rocky planet in search for a hellish artifact.

It's almost hard to believe that first Goosebumps book was released back in 1992, way back when I was an eleven-year-old. After countless books, spinoffs, a television series and merchandise, the franchise is still as big as ever with this autumn's feature film release starring Jack Black. Until then fans can grab their hands on the newest book - Goosebumps Most Wanted: A Nightmare On Clown Street.

The Lady from Shanghai
Director: Orson Welles
Starring: Rita Hayworth, Orson Welles
Studio: Mill Creek Entertainment
Release Date: March 17, 2015
Retail: $14.98
ASIN: B00S1VR62K
Running Time: 88 minutes
Rating: Not Rated
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

Arriving on Blu-ray for the first time from Mill Creek Entertainment this coming Tuesday is the 1947 classic film noir The Lady from Shanghai. Orson Welles wrote, directed and stars in the film. Rita Hayworth, Everett Salone, Glenn Anders and Ted De Corsia co-starred. There are no extras of special features on the single-disc.

Based on the 1938 novel, If I Die Before I Wake, by Sherwood king, The Lady from Shanghai centers on an Irish sailor Michael O'Hara (played by Orson Welles), who becomes fascinated with a married woman, Elsa "Rosalie" Bannister (played by Rita Hayworth). Elsa's husband, Arthur Bannister (played by Everett Sloane), is a disabled criminal defense attorney. After meeting the blonde bombshell, he agrees to work on her husband’s yacht as a seaman.

While on the boat, Michael is approached by Bannister's partner, George Grisby (played by Glenn Anders), whom offers Michael $5,000 to murder him! George wants Michael to help fake his death. Since there will be no body, there is no way Michael can be convicted of the crime.

Michael agrees to help George as he wants to use the money to runaway with Elsa. On the night of the proposed "murder," Michael finds the real corpse of George. Somebody has already murdered him and Michael is the prime suspect.

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  This week's question is submitted by Elizabeth!

What is more important to you when you are deciding to read a book?

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My Answer: 

For me, the two most important things about a book are:

The Genre

The Plot