The Golden Braid
by Melanie Dickerson
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Pub. Date: Novemer 17, 2015
ISBN: 978-0718026264
Pages: 320
Blog Tour: http://litfusegroup.com/author/mdickerson
Buy Link: http://bit.ly/1NZuPiD 

Review:

I might seem a little odd for a male reader to like reading fairy tale stories, but for some reason in the last few years these have appealed to me. It might have something to do with the fact that I watch the television series Once Upon A Time. (Yep, even the current season, which is a complete mess.) Now available to purchase in bookstores is The Golden Braid by Melanie Dickerson, a retelling of the classic Rapunzel tale.

Of course, The Golden Braid centers on a seventeen-year-old Rapunzel, but she's slightly different than what we have seen in Disney's Tangled as well as countless short story and books. Her mother, Gothel, a midwife, is very protective and doesn't want any young man to close to Rapunzel. When one does, Gothel makes Rapunzel move with her to a new location. Rapunzel has never learned how to read, but she does know how to paint floral pictures. Also, she is an expert at knife throwing.

While moving yet again, they are attacked by rebels, but are rescued quickly by a knight, Sir Gerek. Coincidentally, Rapunzel ends up saving the handsome knight shortly after. Being raised properly, Sir Gerek wants to say 'thank you' by offering to teach Rapunzel how to read. This is the medieval times, so there's not many books available, so naturally Sir Gerek uses the scriptures to to the teach the golden braided beauty how to read, all of which is kept hidden form Gothel.

While I love having a cat in the house, there is the one thing that bothers me - the excess cat hair on the couch, chairs, beds, etc..

Yep, my cat shreds like crazy. The only decent pet brush that I've been able to find is actually made for a dog and it's way too big for her. The others that I have seen in the stores look to be a bit to rough, so I've never purchased one.

A few weeks ago, I was sent the Shed Ninja Pet Brush to test out and review. It retails for $46.95, but it's currently priced for $19.95 on Amazon.com. The brush is supposed to remove 90% of dead fur within a few minutes of use.

It features a different brush on each side -  one side has a shredding brush and the other side has a rak
The shedding blade easily removes loose hair that is beneath the topcoat. It gently releases the loose hairs in the undercoat, which will help prevent pet dander.The rake does exactly what it sounds like, it picks up any loose hair found in the fur.

The Christmas Joy Ride
by Melody Carlson
Publisher: Revell
Pub. Date: September 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-0800719678
Pages: 176
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

Yep, I'm trying to get through my Grinch-like mood by reading a few holiday-themed books this month. You might recall me reading The Christmas Cat last year. Well, the author, Melody Carlson, has published another book titled, The Christmas Joy Ride, which can be purchased at most bookstores.

The novella centers on an Miranda Fortner, who is currently unemployed and is now fearing that the bank will foreclose on her home. Her 85-year-old neighbor, Joy Jorgenson, has sold her own house and is moving to a assisted living place in Phoenix, so she can be near her sons. Miranda is shocked when she learns how Joy is going to get to there - she's going to drive her old RV, which is covered in Christmas decorations, 2,000 miles to Phenoix!

Joy has a mission to deliver gifts to six people that had each won a contest on her blog. There is no way that Miranda is going to let her drive across the country all by herself, so she packs her bags and joins Joy on the trip.

A Christmas Horror Story
Directors: Grant Harvey, Steven Hoban, Brett Sullivan
Cast: William Shatner, George Buza, Rob Archer
Studio: RLJ Entertainment
Release Date: November 24, 2015
Retail: $27.97
ASIN: B013JA9SL4
Running Time: 107 minutes
Rating: Not Rated
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

Arriving on DVD on Tuesday November 24th, is the horror holiday flick A Christmas Horror Story. Directed by Grant Harvey, Steven Hoban & Brett Sullivan, the film stars William Shatner, George Buza, Rob Archer. The single-disc DVD features Behind-The Scenes Of A Christmas Horror Story featurette.

If you've been following my blog lately, then you would know that I don't exactly have the Christmas spirit yet, so the last thing that I want to do is watch a Christmas movie. Nevertheless, for the some reason I've watched two holiday-themed movies over the last few days, which one of the two happens to be the horror anthology, A Christmas Horror Story.

The anthology features four different stories, which are all wrapped together with scenes with William Shatner as a radio DJ, where he's warning his listeners to avoid the mall as there is a someone wearing a Santa Claus suit has taken shoppers hostage.


The first story centers on three kids - Molly (played by Zoe De Grand Masion), Ben (played by Alex Ozerov) and Dylan (Shannon Kook) on a ghost hunt in a school basement, where two other teens were brutally murdered a year before on Christmas Eve. Unfortunately for them, the ghost stories are true and the kids might not make it through the night alive.


One of the first cops who investigated the Christmas Eve murders was Scott (played by Adrian Holmes). Now he has his own set of problems with his seven-year-old son, Will (played by Orion John). The boy has been acting weird ever since he went missing for a few minutes when Scott and his wife, Kim (played by Oluniké Adeliyi), went Christmas tree hunting in the woods. To find out, something else has replaced their son and they'll have to fight to survive the night.

Angels Sing
Director: Tim McCanlies
Cast: Harry Connick, Jr., Connie Britton, Lyle Lovett, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson
Studio: LionsGate
Release Date: December 10, 2013
Retail: $14.98
ASIN: B00FKPHPW6
Running Time: 90
Rating: PG
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

If you haven't noticed, the Hallmark channel has been playing Christmas movies nonstop all month and will continue into the New Year. On December 1st, Hallmark will repeat the 2013 holiday drama Angels Sing, which originally premiered on the channel in July 2014. Directed by Tim McCanlies, the film stars Harry Connick, Jr., Connie Britton (Nashville), Lyle Lovett, Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson. The film is now available on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD.

Based on the novel When Angels Sing by Turk Pipkin, Harry Connick, Jr. plays Michael Walker, who dreads the holidays each year, mostly due to a devastating event that happened during his childhood. While his father (played by Kirs Kristofferson) has been trying to spread the Christmas spirit to him over the years, it never works.

After Thanksgiving Day, Michael and his wife Susan (played by Connie Britton) begin looking for a new place to live, but they haven't had much luck. While driving, Michael suddenly comes across a "for sale" sign in the yard in front of a beautiful house. Though he knows the house has to be way out of his price range, he talks to the owner, Nick (played by Willie Nelson) and makes an offer for the place. To his surprise, Nick accepts the offer.


Shortly after moving into their new home, Michael, Susan and their son David (played by Chandler Canterbury) quickly realizes that this isn't a normally neighborhood as everyone living there goes a little overboard with Christmas. Griffin (played by Lyle Lovett) is the first to knock on their door with a welcoming gift - a box of decorations. Other neighbors greet the Walker family and all of them drop off decorations as well.

Now & Forever
Wild at Heart, book two
by Mary Connealy
Publisher: Bethany House
Pub. Date: June 2, 2015
ISBN: 978-0764211799
Pages: 336
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

One of my favorite genres to read over the last few years has been western-romances, so whenever I see any romance novels set in the 1800s, I automatically sign up to review it. One of my favorite authors who writes these kinds of books is Mary Connealy. During the summer, she released the second book int he Wild at Heart series, titled Now & Forever.

Set in the Dakota Territory/Idaho Territory Border in the year 1866, the novel centers on a tomboy named Shannon Wilde. She's the middle sister of her family who absolutely loves all animals. Along with her other two sisters, they were forced to join the Civil War disguised as men. She now has her own homestead and is raising sheep on her land. The last thing she ever wanted was a man, but that all changes when her path crosses with Matthew Tucker.

Matthew is a lost soul who went into the wilderness with the intention of getting away from the world, but after he almost bumps into a grizzly bear, the beautiful Shannon comes out of nowhere. She saves his life by jumping with him off of a cliff and into the Slaughter River. Before he can even breathe, he finds himself married to Shannon.

I'm sure many of you are still scrambling around to get your house in working order and spic & span for Thanksgiving day, so I thought I would mention two simple tips that can help you out.