An Endless Christmas
by Cynthia Ruchti
Publisher: Worthy Inspired
Pub. Date: October 13, 2015
ISBN: 978-1617955877
Pages: 232
Buy Link: http://bit.ly/1PmF69N
Blog Tour: http://litfusegroup.com/author/cruchti

Review:

It's almost hard to believe that there are only five more weeks until Christmas Day. Though I do have about 99% of my gift shopping finished already, I'm not exactly in the holiday mood this year. Every time I stumble upon a Christmas movie on the Hallmark channel, I avoid it all costs. I've also been skipping over the radio stations that are playing holiday tunes. No, I'm not a Scrooge. I just guess the Christmas magic hasn't exactly hit me yet. That being said, I had signed up to review a several holiday themed novels for a few book tours awhile back and I've delayed reading them as long as I could.

One these books (well, a novella) happens to be An Endless Christmas by author Cynthia Ruchti, which centers on Wilson and Dodie Blinder hosting Christmas for their large family (children, grandchildren, etc.) at their cottage in Minnesota. They're excited that their grandson, Micah, is going to ask his girlfriend, Katie, to marry him. Micah asks her to marry him in front of his entire family and Katie's answer is - "No!"

Unfortunately for Katie, she has no other place to go, so she's stuck at the Binder cottage for Christmas. Most of the family are upset with her for breaking Micah's heart, but Dodie sees this extra time as an opportunity for her grandson to win back Katie's heart.

The Love Letters
by Beverly Lewis
Publisher: Bethany House
Pub. Date: March 24, 2015
ISBN: 978-0764212468
Pages: 352
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

I had never even knew there was such a thing as Amish fiction until I read The Covenant (book one in the Abram's Daughter series) by Beverly Lewis, which was either in 2001 or 2002. I had joined one of the those book clubs where you get five or six books for $.99 and you have to buy three or four books during the next two years at full price. The Covenant was one of the books I got for joining the club. I recall I was short one book, so I just picked The Covenant as it looked an interesting read. Let's just say that I became a fan of Beverly Lewis's writings very quickly. I ended up purchasing her previous novels and I have continued to read each and every new release of hers.

While many of the author's novels are part of a series featuring three to five books, she does occasionally write a stand alone novel, which just happens to be the case for The Love Letters. (No, this isn't the made-for-Hallmark movie from the late 90s.)  This story is set in 1966 and centers on Marlena Wenger, a young woman with a lot on her young shoulders. She was set to marry Nathaniel Zimmerman shortly after she finishes her classes prior to being baptized into the Old Amish Order, well, that is until she learns that her grandfather has passed away and someone needs to go to Brownstown, Pennsylvania and assist her grandmother, Mammi Janice, for the summer. Guess whose going?

Yep, you guessed it - Marlena must put her life on hold to help out her grandmother. Not too long after arriving in Brownstown, Marlena learns that her estranged sister Luella has died in a car crash. Luell had left the Amish lifestyle to marry her sweetheart Gordon Munroe, who is currently serving his country in Vietnam. This leaves Marlena the guardian of her baby niece, Angela Rose.

From The Start 
by Melissa Tagg
Publisher: Bethany House
Pub. Date: April 7, 2015
ISBN: 978-0764213076
Pages: 352 pages
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

With only a month and a half left of 2015, I thought it was about time that I finally clear off the books that have been piled on my desk for months. These titles had been read, but I hadn't gotten around to reviewing them, so I'm planning on writing at least one review a day for the rest of November, though I might only publish one per day.

From the Start is a contemporary romance by author Melissa Tag that was released back in April by Bethany House. I have a bad habit of picking out books directly by their covers, but that wasn't the case with this book as I actually read the synopsis first. After being intrigued by the plot, I thought I would give it a try.

The novel centers on screenplay writer Kate Walker, a young woman that writes made-for-TV romances, but her own love life is completely empty. Unfortunately, she has a series of bad luck starting with the lack of movie projects to work on. With no other choice, she packs her bags and returns home to Maple Valley, Iowa in the hope that she will find a new meaning (or career) for her life.

This is a romantic tale, so of course there is a love interest for Kate, whom happens to be a NFL quarterback, Colton Green. Due to a recent injury that has sidelined him from playing football, Colton has been hiding out in his friend's (Logan) hometown, which as you have probably guessed, it's in Maple Valley. And guess who Logan's sister is?

It seems everybody is on the go today, mostly thanks for the still falling economy as well as the price hike at the grocery stores, where you spend three times the amount than what you did ten years ago. Now, Americans are taking either a part-time job or a second full-time job on top of their regular job, all so they can barely pay their bills. Despite the Obamacare becoming a law, medical insurance is higher than ever; resulting in the doctors increasing what they charge per visit. To make matter worse, the deductibles have also increased, meaning you have to pay more out of your pocket for the insurance that you already pay for.

Luckily for us, there is now a thing called telemedicine, a way to see a doctor in the privacy of your own home by the use of the internet, which is great for people in smaller towns that don’t' have quick access to a doctor's office or hospital.

Recently, I got a chance try out Amwell, which is a telemedicine website where you can book a online doctor's visit with a U.S. trained, board-certified, licensed and credentialed physician starting at $49 or less. There also licensed psychologists and counselors starting at $95 or less and dietitians starting at $25 or less. There some insurance companies and employers that will cover telethealth visits, so please check with your health insurance company or Human Resources department to see if you're covered.

The website is pretty easy to use. All you have to do is just fill out the sign up form on the site; test your internet connection on your laptop, desktop, cell phone or tablet; search for your nearest provider and talk to the appropriate doctor. There are no appointments, so you can get a doctor's advice 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

If you want schedule next week's post, click here to find the next prompt question. To submit a question, fill out this form.

What to do:

1. Post on your blog answering this question:

  This week's question is submitted by Elizabeth @ Silver's Reviews!

How long does it normally take you to read a book?

2. Enter the link to your post in the linky list below (enter your Blog Name and the direct link to your post answering this week’s question. Failure to do so will result in removal of your link).


3. Visit other blogs in the list and comment on their posts. Try to spend some time on the blogs reading other posts and possible become a new follower.  The purpose of the hop is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, befriend other bloggers, and receive new followers to your own blog.

  

My Answer: 

  It depends on the page length and whether or not the plot intrigues me. It could be an hour or it could be months. For example, I started reading Outlander about 6 months ago, but I'm currently only halfway through it. It's not that I'm not intersted in the novel, but the page length is a bit long and I have had other books that needed to be reviewed.

Vendetta
The Nikki Boyd Files, book 1
by Lisa Harris
Publisher: Revell
Pub. Date: October 6, 2015
ISBN: 978-0800724177
Pages: 304
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

Between reading romance novels and horror books, I had a chance to read a new mystery-thriller, titled Vendetta, book one in the new Nikki Boyd Files by Lisa Harris.

Vendetta centers Nikki Boyd, whom is part of the Tennessee Missing Persons Task Force. After her sister, Sarah, went missing nearly ten years ago, she decided to make it her life's mission in saving others, and hopefully one day she'll piece together the clues behind her sister's disappearance. Her hopes might finally come true when she discovers a link between Sarah and a recently missing teenager, Bridget.

As she begins to investigate, she stumbles upon a bigger mystery than what she could ever imagined. To solve the case and rescue Bridget before it is too yet, Nikki must team up with her good friend, Tyler Grant, the widow of her best friend who died in accident a year ago, but standing in their way is the killer known as the Angel Abductor.

Boris Karloff Collection
Directors: Roy William Neill, Nick Grinde, Edward Dmytryk, Lew Landers
Starring: Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre, Marian Marchy, Lorna Gray, Roger Pryor, Evelyn Keyes, Richard Fiske
Studio: Mill Creek Entertainment
Release Date: September 19, 2015
Retail: $14.98
ASIN: B011PS51LI
Running Time: 6 hours 43 minutes
Rating: Not Rated
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

Though Halloween is officially over for this year, it doesn't mean you have to stop watching horror flicks as there are plenty of older movies being released to DVD, such as the Boris Karloff Collection, featuring six classic flicks - The Black Room, The Man They Could Not Hang, Before I Hang, The Devil Commands and The Boogie Man Will Get You.

Directed by Roy William Neill., The Black Room (1935; 69 minutes) stars Boris Karloff playing dual twin brothers, Baron Gregor de Berghmann and Anton de Berghmann, in the early 1800's in Czecoslovakia. Baron is the bad a twin, a man that kills the wives of the local peasants. After the good twin, Anton, returns to the land, Baron lures him into the Black Room and kills him. Baron assumes his brother's identity, so he can continue his madness.

Directed by Nick Grinde, The Man They Could Not Hang (1939; 64 minutes) centers on Dr. Henryk Savaard (played by Boris Karloff), a doctor that is obsessed with bring the dead back to life. After being hanged, he returns from the dead and sees out to revenge the men that convicted him.

Also directed by Nick Grinde is The Man With Nine Lives (1940; 74 minutes) and stars Boris Karloff as another crazed scientist, but this time he's searching for a cure for cancer. He freezes his patients in suspended animation, but accidentally freezes himself. He wakes up ten years later and continues his research. Only this time he uses his enemies for the experiments.

Before I Hang (1940; 64 minutes) was also directed by Nick Grinde and stars Boris Karloff as another doctor, Dr. Garth, who is awaiting execution for killing an elderly friend. Just before his death, he injects himself with a serum that is made from the blood of a homicidal maniac, which has deadly results.

Directed by Edward Dmytryk, The Devil Commands (1941; 65 minutes) stars Boris Karloff as another mad scientist, Dr. Julian Blair, who tries to communicate with his dead wife. He finally makes contact with the dead at an isolated mansion in New England, but his madness eventually take over him.

Finding a decent family movie that is clean-cut is difficult to find. Since 1991, The Dove Foundation has been reviewing films and compiling the best list of family-friendly movies. This past summer, Mill Creek Entertainment released two new family films, Summer's Shadow and Ugly Benny, to DVD.

Directed by Steve Franke (who also co-wrote the script), Summer's Shadow (Retail: $14.98; 85 minutes) stars Belle Shouse, Todd Terry, Liz Franke, Mark Hanson, Aiden Langford and Jill Erickson. There are no special features or extras on the single-disc DVD.

Inspired by true events, Summer's Shadow centers on a 12-year-old girl named Summer Larsen who moves to a small suburb with her father. She quickly befriends a stray dog, which she names Shadow. Despite her father's objections, she decides to keep the dog. Unfortunately, a neighbor woman doesn't approve of Shadow being in the neighborhood and is determined to get rid of the dog one way or another.

Son of the Dragon
Director: David Wu
Cast: David Carradine, Rupert Graves, John Reardon
Studio: Mill Creek Entertainment
Release Date: July 21, 2015
Retail: $9.98
ASIN: B00XK713SS
Running Time: 178 minutes
Rating: Not Rated
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:
 
I'm trying to catch up on several reviews that I've delayed for one reason or another, including a few Mill Creek Entertainment titles.

Son of the Dragon was re-released to DVD this past summer. It originally aired on the Hallmark Movie Channel in 2008, which was first film to be shown in HD on the cable channel. Directed by David Wu, the film stars the late David Carradine, Rupert Graves and John Reardon. There are no special features or extras on the two-disc set.

The film puts a new spin of the classic "The Thief of Bagdad" story. It centers on a young thief named D.B. - "Devil Boy" (played by John Reardon) and his teacher Bird (played by David Carradine). Ever since he was a kid, D.B. has stolen goods from the rich and given them to the poor.

D.B. and Bird make plans to steal the royal court's jewels. Well, that is until D.B. sets eyes on the Governor's daughter, Princess Li Wei (played Desiree Siahaan) and quickly falls in love her. Unfortunately, the Princess has another suitor, Prince of the North (played by Rupert Graves), whom wants to make sure that D.B. stays away from her forever.

I was feeling a little sluggish earlier tonight. Knowing that I had several things to work on, I almost thought about making a pot of coffee, but then I didn't  do it as I don't want to "stay up" literally all night. Then it dawned on me that I have two containers of RAW MEAL from Garden of Life that I haven't reviewed yet.

So, I grabbed the 16 oz container of RAW MEAL Organic Vanilla Spiced Chai, scooped one serving of the meal replacement and mixed it in a shaker with 8 oz of water.

While the RAW MEAL Organic Vanilla Spiced Chai has been around for awhile, the Garden of Life company recently changed the recipe to give it 15% more protein with 45 super foods and it now only has 1g of sugar per serving. There is no junk ingredients, such as gluten, soy, dairy, added sugars, artificial flavors and sweeteners. It's been NON-GMO VERIFIED.