Red Velvet Revenge (Cupcake Bakery Mystery #4) By: Jenn McKinlay

Red Velvet Revenge

Red Velvet Revenge (Cupcake Bakery Mystery #4) By: Jenn McKinlay

Plot:

It may be summertime, but sales at Fairy Tale Cupcakes are below zero–and owners Melanie Cooper and Angie DeLaura are willing to try anything to heat things up. So when local legend Slim Hazard offers them the chance to sell cupcakes at the annual Juniper Pass rodeo, they’re determined to rope in a pretty payday! But not everyone at the Juniper Pass is as sweet for Fairy Tale Cupcakes as Slim–including star bull-rider Ty Stokes. Mel and Angie try to steer clear of the cowboy’s short fuse, but when his dead body is found face down in the hay, it’s a whole different rodeo. With a vengeful murderer on the loose, the ladies are quickly realizing that while they came to save their business, they may have to save themselves–and that’s no bull.

Review:

Oh my god!!! Why??? So the book ended on a romantic relationship cliffhanger for Mel and Angie both. Of course my library does not have the next book and neither do any of the used bookstores in the area. I really need to find a way to secure income for buying books.

Anyway, I thought more of the story was dedicated to relationship stuff than mystery stuff,but that could be because that’s becoming my favorite part. The mystery was good, plenty of twists and turns, but even with all it’s drama I didn’t really care about it. I needed Angie to get her head out of her ass or Mel to knock some sense into her. Neither happened.

Maybe it’s a good thing I don’t have the next book. Some character traits are starting to grate on my nerves. Mel has some boundary issues and they always seem to be in flux. One minute she’s asking incredibly personal questions like who do you think murdered your husband and the next she won’t push Angie on who she’s in love with. Angie is all temper and was a real bitch in this book. She’s always threatening to kick someone’s ass but never does. Mel really nailed Tate when she called him a wuss, dude just tell her how you feel already.

I’m excited to read the next in the series, but I also think it’s a good thing I’m going to have a little break from the characters.

4/5

The Matrix (1999)

The Matrix

The Matrix (1999)

Director:

Andy Wachowski & Lana Wachowski

Starring:

Keanu Reeves

Laurence Fishburne

Carrie-Anne Moss

Plot:

A computer hacker learns from mysterious rebels about the true nature of his reality and his role in the war against its controllers.

Review:

This is one of my happy movies. I watch it and can’t help but grin. So many scenes that I love, a great world, great editing, and a great story.

I really shouldn’t review movies and books I love because I get so caught up in them that I can barely think past OMG I LOVE THIS SO MUCH!!!!!

The movie opens great, I love that you get to see Trinity kicking so much ass. The cool little slide phone. Her flight through the window looks a little bad, but the movie is from ’99 it gets a pass.

This was the first rated R movie I ever owned; it might have even been on VHS I’m not sure. I remember letting my little brother watch it, without my parents’ consent, and getting so angry that the coolest part for him was when Neo flips of Agent Smith. How could he not see how cool the action scenes were or how amazing the world was? Kids.

The scene where they walk through the metal detectors makes me grin like an idiot. From there until the end it’s just nonstop, everything is so spectacular and eye opening. The world becomes so much bigger.

5/5

 

“I know Kung Fu.”

Death by the Dozen (Cupcake Mysteries #3) By: Jenna McKinlay

Death by the dozen

Death by the Dozen (Cupcake Mysteries #3) By: Jenna McKinlay

Plot:

Melanie and Angie are determined to win the Challenge to the Chef to promote their Fairy Tale Cupcakes bakery. Mel’s mentor from culinary school, Vic Mazzotta, may be one of the judges, but Mel and Angie will have to win fair and square. But, when Vic’s dead body is found inside a freezer truck, Mel and Angie will need to use their best judgment to find the cold-blooded killer or they may lose more than the contest- they may lose their lives.

Review:

Another great installment in the series. Her cupcake/pastry descriptions are really making me want to bake.

This time Mel had someone she was close to murdered, however they were still a heel so as a reader it didn’t really affect me. It worked well as believable motivation for her to investigate, though. The killer was obvious only if you’ve watched too much Law and Order but was still very entertaining.

The Tate-Angie-Roach love triangle is still going strong and I’m happy that the love triangle I foresaw in the previous book for Mel did not come to pass in this book. Really hoping the relationship stuff gets settled soon, people can be happy in their relationships and still find themselves surrounded by murder, right?

4.5/5

Skin Trade (2014)

Skin Trade

Skin Trade (2014)

Director:

Ekachai Uekrongtham

Starring:

Dolph Lundgren

Tony Jaa

Ron Perlman

Michael Jai White

Plot:

After his family is killed by a Serbian gangster with international interests, NYC detective Nick goes to S.E. Asia and teams up with a Thai detective to get revenge and destroy the syndicates human trafficking network.

Review:

Lot of action names in this movie. The story was fairly mindless, I called everything that happened, there were several good fights, and the ending was weak.

Dolph Lundgren, Tony Jaa, and Michael Jai White all had good fight scenes. There wasn’t much shaky cam, though, there were more quick edits than I wanted. Still I was surprised at how good the fights looked, considering the budget for the film.

Something that annoyed me were the edits through the movie. My husband said that some people said it was the directors style. I don’t know if that’s true, but it felt more unprofessional than a style choice. At one point Michael Jai White was talking with Dolph Lundgren while walking down a hall and then all of a sudden Robocop (Peter Weller) was talking in front of a large group of cops with DL and MJW in the room. It was not seamless and didn’t work with the story and stuff like that happened a few times.

The ending was a set up for a sequel, which is pretty ambitious for this type of movie, but it also took away from the impact of the ending. A helicopter has exploded, which is great, but instead of some cheesy line and riding off into the sunset, Lundgren’s character finds out his daughter is still alive. Which sets up a sequel and gives no real closer for the first movie.

3.5/5

Buttercream Bump Off (A Cupcake Bakery Mystery #2) By: Jenn McKinlay

Buttercream Bump Off

Buttercream Bump Off (A Cupcake Bakery Mystery #2) By: Jenn McKinlay

Plot:

Melanie Cooper and Angie DeLaura’s Fairy Tale Cupcakes bakery is gearing up for Valentine’s Day. Unfortunately someone has iced Baxter Malloy on his first date with Mel’s mother. Now Mom’s a suspect, and Mel and Angie need to find time around frosting to dig into the man’s shady past and discover who served him his just desserts.

Review:

Finally got to read the next book in the series, so happy. Tons of more amazing sounding cupcakes and a good mystery as well.

This series is everything you could want in a cozy mystery and is very comforting because of it. I know that the mystery is going to be solved, that I’m never going to be blindsided with extreme violence, and that the romance will work out.

I’m a little concerned about the introduction of a new detective, I think he’s going to have a thing for Mel and she’s already got Joe. Also Angie and Tate need to get on the same page ASAP.

Excited that my library has the next one in and I’ve got it sitting beside me waiting to be devoured.

4.5/5