Month: September 2020

Book Talk Tuesday: HAPPILY THIS CHRISTMAS

Published on by Live Vi-Carrie-ously

If it’s Tuesday, this must be a book review. It’s been a while since I posted a book review. Not because I haven’t been reading, but after reading quite a few books for review, I took a break and read for myself. I did read some great books that I will review in the next few weeks, but I’m starting with a Christmas book. Of course. Since it’s officially Fall, there are only twelve weekends between now and Christmas. That’s twelve chances to curl up with some hot chocolate, or a latte, or tea, and this endearing book.

Susan Mallery takes us back to Happily Inc, the wedding destination town in the California desert. This is Wynn’s story. We’ve met Wynn in the other Happily Inc stories. She runs the graphic design and printing shop and she’s a single mom of a young teenage boy.

Wynn has kept her heart to herself and refused to consider a long-term relationship. Until the good-looking police officer, Garrick, moves in next door. They wave greetings occasionally and she watches him mow his lawn, but that’s it. Until he asks her to help him get his home ready for his adult daughter, Joylyn, to come stay. She’s pregnant and her husband is deployed. They’ve been estranged for several years and he has no idea why or what happened. He’s hoping this means they can heal the past and restore the loving relationship they used to have.

Of course, it’s not that easy.

I really enjoyed this one a lot. Of course, we all know I’m a huge Susan Mallery fan. And a huge fan of Christmas stories with Happily Ever After endings.

Wynn and Garrick had believable chemistry and they were cognizant that they both had their children living with them, so they didn’t tumble into bed at the first spark, disregarding that fact. Joylyn was a pill at first, but she softened and became likable. Some of our previous Happily Inc protagonists had cameos and walk-on parts, so we got to catch up with Renee and Jasper, Bethany and Cade, Carol and Matthias, and the others.

This was a fun addition to the Happily Inc library and I highly recommend it!

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher, but it did not induce me to review it, either favorably or not.

Media Monday: The Crown

Published on by Live Vi-Carrie-ously2 Comments

We enjoyed the first two seasons of this original Netflix show, and just got around to watching Season 3. There are new actors in many of the roles since Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip, Princess Margaret, Prince Charles, and the others are getting older.

We like this show for several reasons.

It’s a good “Well, it could have happened that way,” story of real lives about real people whom we’ll never know the real truth about.

It shows British history, including parts we’re not familiar with. We had no knowledge of the Aberfan disaster. A Welsh coaling village, Aberfan was devastated by the deaths of 116 children and 28 adults when a colliery spoil tip collapsed into the village. It was like a giant sinkhole, that then turned into an avalanche. And we learned that the Welsh people weren’t (and presumably still aren’t) particularly supportive of the monarchy in general and the Prince of Wales in particular.

The actors are incredible. Clare Foy as Queen Elizabeth in the first two seasons, then Olivia Colman. John Lithgow as Winston Churchill. Vanessa Kirby and Helena Bonham Carter as Princess Margaret. Matt Smith and Tobias Menzies as Prince Philip. We already had a love/hate relationship with Menzies as Frank Randall/Captain Black Jack Randall in Outlander, but he made Prince Philip his own too. So while many of the actors are familiar, their work in The Crown is outstanding.

Do you watch The Crown? Who’s your favorite character/actor?