Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Book Review: Edge of Dawn (Midnight Breed, #11) by: Lara Adrian

Title: Edge of Dawn (Midnight Breed, #11)
Author: Lara Adrian
ISBN: 0345532600
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Theme: Vampires
Binding: Hardcover
Length: 288
Published: 26 February 2013
Buy: Amazon.com


Synopsis: In this pulse-pounding and thrillingly sensual novel, New York Times bestselling author Lara Adrian returns to the mesmerizing world of the Midnight Breed, following new characters into a dark future where an uneasy peace can unravel into war—and a great betrayal can mask an all-consuming love.

Twenty years after the terror of First Dawn—when mankind learned that vampires lived secretly among them—the threat of violence reigns as the two species struggle to coexist. The only group preserving the fragile harmony is the Order, an elite cadre of Breed warriors dedicated to protecting humans and vampires alike. And in this precarious world of torn loyalties and shattered trust, Mira, a fiery squad captain, finds that every fight bears an intensely personal cost.

Raised among the Order, Mira has always believed in the warrior’s code of swift—and even lethal—justice. But the one thing she desires more than the Order’s hard-won acceptance is Kellan Archer, a sexy but troubled Breed fighter. In love with him since childhood, Mira once broke through his tough exterior during an unexpected night of rapture, but the next day he mysteriously disappeared, never to return.

Kellan didn’t think he would ever see Mira again—or have to confront the truth of why he left. After abandoning the Order years ago, he now leads a band of human rebels intent on carrying out their own vigilante rule of law. Yet a high-profile kidnapping assignment brings him face-to-face with the past he sought to avoid, and the striking woman he has tried desperately to forget. And as tensions mount and the risk of bloodshed grows, Kellan and Mira must take sides—between the competing missions that dominate their lives, and the electrifying passion that claims their hearts.


My Rating:


My Review: Christine Feehan. Sherrilyn Kenyon. J.R. Ward. Lara Adrian. What do these authors have in common? Quite a few things, actually. They have not only written some of the most memorable alpha male vampire heroes known in the romance genre, but also have successful, long running series. Christine Feehan and Sherrilyn Kenyon used to be on my top 5 favorite authors list. Feehan's Dark series and Kenyon's Dark Hunter series consisted of books that were so good that I would buy them automatically just because their names were on the front cover. But recently I've found myself not doing that so much anymore. Series that I once found so unique and exciting have become predictable while others have gone off the deep end due to authors trying to create new twists to keep the story lines fresh. Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunter series is up to 27 books so far with Feehan's Dark series trailing at 23-- and as much as I hate to say it, they both should have ended many books ago. I can only imagine the pressure that fans put on authors to keep a series going and there are just as many authors that rather stick with what they know then try something new.

Then there are those authors that surprise you, such as J.R. Ward and Lara Adrian. Since this review is about Lara Adrian's Midnight Breed series, I will save my comments about J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood series for another time. What I love and respect about Lara Adrian is that her Midnight Breed series technically ended with Darker After Midnight, book 10. Of course I didn't realize this until a couple of months ago when I started reading it in preparation for Edge of Dawn, book 11. When it finally started dawning on me that she was wrapping things up the closer I got to the end, I remember thinking, wow, an author that knows it's time to pull the plug and end on a bang. After all, I don't think I am the only one that was getting tired of Draco (the SOB needed to die ages ago even though I get he was the main villian) and she was running out of Breed warriors to write about (at least those that fought under Lucan). So if the series ended with book #10, what is Edge of Dawn, book #11 about?

Edge of Dawn takes place 20 years after the end of Darker After Midnight. Vampires are now out of the closet to humans and Lucan and the rest of the Breed have been working diligently for 20 years to create a peaceful coexistence. Mira, the adopted daughter of Nikolai and Renata, is now fully grown and a captain of her own squad of Breed warriors. She is still suffering from the loss of the only man that she has ever loved, Kellan. But when she is sent on a personal mission and is taken captive by a mysterious rebel leader, she soon realizes that the man she thought she had lost to an explosion years ago may not be dead after all.

Even though Edge of Dawn lists as book 11 in the Midnight Breed series, technically it is the first in a new series that just so happens to be set in the world of the Breed. All of the children that were introduced towards the end of the series, such as Lucan and Gabrielle's son Dare, Nikolai and Renata's adopted daughter Mira, Chase and Tavia's twins, Aric and Carys, and the parentless Ethan and Kellan make an appearance. This is why Lara Adrian is brilliant. She was wise enough to know that any more then 10 books would be pushing her luck as far as trying to find a new hero and also stretching the plot out. But, who says the world of the Breed has to end? And what better way to continue on and to keep it fresh then to jump 20 years in the future, add a new villian/threat that must be destroyed, and use the kin of the previous main characters in past books as the new heros/heroines for future books. Absolutely brilliant!

There is not much more for me to say. Lara Adrian delivers. Even the shortened length of Edge of Dawn works. Normally her Midnight Breed novels run around 350 to over 400 pages. Edge of Dawn is only 288 pages which concerned me at first but it was perfect. You could read Edge of Dawn as a stand alone but if you are a fan of her previous 10 novels in the series then you will love how she revisits previous characters and also gives us glimpses of future ones to come. One secondary character that was introduced in Edge of Dawn that I absolutely became enamored with is the alpha Breed cage fighter Rune. HOLY SH*T is he H.O.T! Even his name is sexy! I'll probably have to wait another 10 books before his story gets told, but at least I have something to look forward to!


Tuesday, March 19, 2013

My Picks of the Week! (March 12th-22th)


Happy Belated St. Patrick's Day!

Since I didn't get a chance to list last week's new releases, I decided to combine them with this week's. Also, I will be finally posting a new review tomorrow. I promise, it's already done! This post is already long, so I will leave you to browse.

Best Wishes,


BOOKS (March 12th-21st)



ADULT: (March 12th-21st)

A Simple Romance
by: J.H. Knight

Skip thought he had it all: the fabulous husband, the great apartment, and the teaching job he’d always wanted. Even the cat was perfect. When his partner of eight years decides he wants something else—something that doesn’t involve Skip or the apartment or even the cat—Skip decides it’s time to go home to the other side of the country.

However, Skip’s hometown doesn’t just hold a loving meddling mother but also the memories of his awkward crush on a boy he met his senior year in high school. A boy he humiliated himself in front of just when it looked as if his fantasies might become reality. Finding out Paul Miller is now working at the same high school where Skip has just been hired flips his world upside down. After a heated night together, Skip is happy being friends with benefits. Paul will have to convince him love is worth the risk.


Release Date: 13 March 2013


Lost In You (Petal, Georgia #2)
by: Lauren Dane

It hasn’t been easy for Joe Harris to live down his not-so-honorable past, but the military made him a better man. He’s determined to make up for past mistakes, starting with coming home to care for his ailing father.

Things are going as planned until his best friend’s little sister comes barreling into his life. Funny, quick talking, smart, beautiful, she’s a temptation he tries—and fails—to resist.

When Beth Murphy hears Joe is back in town, she makes sure she’s the first on his welcoming committee. Though he tries to pretend he’s gruff and unworthy of her, she sees the man who spoils his dog, who touches her like she’s precious. Cherished. But there’s one wall she can’t break down—the truth about what’s happening at home.

On the night the nature of his father’s illness becomes painfully, publicly apparent, Joe does the right thing—push Beth as far away as possible. But if he thought she’d go away quietly, he’s about to learn she’s made of sterner stuff.


Release Date: 12 March 2013


Velocity (Buckin' Bull Riders, #4)
by: Cassandra Carr

Paolo D’Allesandro has been living in his older brother Marco’s shadow. But he’s getting older now and realizing he and Marco don’t want the same things. He’s not sure what his next step is, but knows he needs to quit riding to figure it out.

Savannah Harrington is a grad student working on a thesis about adrenaline junkies, and she’s joined the bull riders’ tour to study the men and their motivation to willingly take part in a dangerous sport. She meets Paolo and both feel an instant connection. She can’t stay away from the sexy Italian and his mind-numbing skills in the bedroom, but knows the relationship can’t last.


Both wish their circumstances were different, but Paolo doesn’t think he has anything to offer Savannah, and Savannah doesn’t want to pressure Paolo into another life decision that will make someone else happy, but not fulfill him. As her time to go back to school draws closer, they need to figure out how to get their highest score yet—in the game of love.


Release Date: 13 March 2013



But Not For Me
by: J.S. Cook

Gangster Nino Moretti’s world is a series of contrasts between extreme wealth and abject poverty, an unstable existence punctuated by booze and bullets. For Nino, the gangster lifestyle is even more dangerous because he is a finnochio—a gay man—in a position of absolute power at the head of his own criminal organization.

When Nino rescues beautiful mob accountant Stanley Zadwadzki from a violent assault at the hands of sadistic rival gangster Big Frank O’Hara, both Nino and Stanley become hunted men. Stanley places himself under Nino’s protection as Nino’s accountant and unofficial companion. As a warning, Frank murders Nino’s office boy. In a quest for revenge, Nino tracks Frank to Little Italy, where the resulting confrontation forces him to shoot a bystander to protect Stanley. With a gang war looming, Nino must set aside his feelings and concentrate on asserting his superiority over Big Frank—or lose everything he holds most dear.


Release Date: 18 March 2013


Dueling Divas
by: Antonio

The Next Club Superstar contest is just the venue Nash Argento needs to further his career as a singer. There’s only one problem: he has to dress in drag.

With the help of his best female friend, Nash negotiates the challenges of becoming a drag queen in order to compete. But his troubles are far from over. His key competitor is Stacey—a biological woman. Incensed, Nash tries to get her disqualified, but Stacey is desperate for the money, and with the help of her quirky divorcĂ©e best friend and the best friend’s lawyer, she manages to stay in the contest.

Bobby Carter is a lonely librarian looking for Mr. Right—and he’s looking in Nash’s direction. Nash seems to be everything Bobby needs… and then he brings Nash home for dinner and discovers Nash is his sister’s main competition. Nash and Stacey get to know each other and even become friends—and just in time. Someone is murdering the contestants one by one, and Nash and Stacey will need all the help they can get to escape the cruel fate the murderer has planned for them.


Release Date: 18 March 2013



Highlander Most Wanted (Montgomery's & Armstrongs, #2)
by: Maya Banks

In Highlander Most Wanted, a reclusive woman content to live in the shadows shows a Highland warrior the true meaning of love.

Genevieve McInnes is locked behind the fortified walls of McHugh Keep, captive of a cruel laird who takes great pleasure in ruining her for any other man. Yet when Bowen Montgomery storms the gates on a mission of clan warfare, Genevieve finds that her spirit is bent but not broken. Still, her path toward freedom remains uncertain. Unable to bear the shame of returning to a family that believes her dead or to abandon others at the keep to an imposing new laird, Genevieve opts for the peaceful life of an abbess. But Bowen’s rugged sensuality stirs something deep inside her that longs to be awakened by his patient, gentle caress—something warm, wicked, and tempting.

Bowen seizes his enemy’s keep, unprepared for the brooding and reclusive woman who captures his heart. He’s enchanted by her fierce determination, her unusual beauty, and her quiet, unfailing strength. But wooing her will take more than a seasoned seducer’s skill. For loving Genevieve, he discovers, means giving her back the freedom that was stolen from her—even if it means losing her forever.


Release Date: 19 March 2013




YOUNG ADULT (March 12th-19th)


Deep Betrayal (Lies Beneath, #2)
by: Anne Greenwood Brown

It's been thirty days, two hours, and seventeen minutes since Calder left Lily standing on the shores of Lake Superior. Not that she's counting. And when Calder does return, it's not quite the reunion Lily hoped for. Especially after she lets her father in on a huge secret: he, like Calder, is a merman. Obsessed with his new identity, Lily's dad monopolizes Calder's time as the two of them spend every day in the water, leaving Lily behind.

Then dead bodies start washing ashore. Calder blames his mermaid sisters, but Lily fears her father has embraced the merman's natural need to kill. As the body count grows, everyone is pointing fingers. Lily doesn't know what to believe—only that whoever's responsible is sure to strike again. 


Release Date: 12 March 2013


Fat Angie 
by: E.E. Charlton-Trujillo

Her sister was captured in Iraq, she’s the resident laughingstock at school, and her therapist tells her to count instead of eat. Can a daring new girl in her life really change anything?

Angie is broken — by her can’t-be-bothered mother, by her high-school tormenters, and by being the only one who thinks her varsity-athlete-turned-war-hero sister is still alive. Hiding under a mountain of junk food hasn’t kept the pain (or the shouts of "crazy mad cow!") away. Having failed to kill herself — in front of a gym full of kids — she’s back at high school just trying to make it through each day. That is, until the arrival of KC Romance, the kind of girl who doesn’t exist in Dryfalls, Ohio. A girl who is one hundred and ninety-nine percent wow! A girl who never sees her as Fat Angie, and who knows too well that the package doesn’t always match what’s inside. With an offbeat sensibility, mean girls to rival a horror classic, and characters both outrageous and touching, this darkly comic anti-romantic romance will appeal to anyone who likes entertaining and meaningful fiction


Release Date: 12 March 2013


Mila 2.0 (MILA 2.0, #1)
by: Debra Driza

Mila 2.0 is the first book in an electrifying sci-fi thriller series about a teenage girl who discovers that she is an experiment in artificial intelligence.

Mila was never meant to learn the truth about her identity. She was a girl living with her mother in a small Minnesota town. She was supposed to forget her past—that she was built in a secret computer science lab and programmed to do things real people would never do.

Now she has no choice but to run—from the dangerous operatives who want her terminated because she knows too much and from a mysterious group that wants to capture her alive and unlock her advanced technology. However, what Mila’s becoming is beyond anyone’s imagination, including her own, and it just might save her life.

Mila 2.0 is Debra Driza’s bold debut and the first book in a Bourne Identity-style trilogy that combines heart-pounding action with a riveting exploration of what it really means to be human. Fans of I Am Number Four will love Mila for who she is and what she longs to be—and a cliffhanger ending will leave them breathlessly awaiting the seque


Release Date: 12 March 2013


Panic
by: Sharon M. Draper

This gripping and chillingly realistic novel from New York Times bestselling author Sharon Draper shows that all it takes is one bad decision for everything to change.

Diamond knows not to get into a car with a stranger.

But what if the stranger is well-dressed and handsome? On his way to meet his wife and daughter? And casting a movie that very night—a movie in need of a star dancer? What then?

Then Diamond might make the wrong decision.

It’s a nightmare come true: Diamond Landers has been kidnapped. She was at the mall with a friend, alone for only a few brief minutes—and now she’s being held captive, forced to endure horrors beyond what she ever could have dreamed, while her family and friends experience their own torments and wait desperately for any bit of news.


Release Date: 12 March 2013


Scowler
by: Daniel Kraus

Imagine your father is a monster. Would that mean there are monsters inside you, too?

Nineteen-year-old Ry Burke, his mother, and little sister scrape by for a living on their dying family farm. Ry wishes for anything to distract him from the grim memories of his father's physical and emotional abuse. Then a meteorite falls from the sky, bringing with it not only a fragment from another world but also the arrival of a ruthless man intent on destroying the entire family. Soon Ry is forced to defend himself by resurrecting a trio of imaginary childhood protectors: kindly Mr. Furrington, wise Jesus, and the bloodthirsty Scowler.


Release Date: 12 March 2013


Starstruck
by: Rachel Shukert

A golden age of glam . . .

Every week they arrive in Los Angeles--beautiful and talented young hopefuls who dream of becoming stars. It's all Margaret Frobisher has ever wanted—and when she's discovered by a powerful agent, she can barely believe her luck. She's more than ready to escape her snobby private school and conservative Pasadena family for a chance to light up the silver screen.

The competition is fierce at Olympus Studios and Margaret—now Margo—is chasing her Hollywood dreams alongside girls like Gabby Preston, who at 16 is already a grizzled show-biz veteran caught between the studio and the ravenous ambition of her ruthless mother, and sultry Amanda Farraday, who seems to have it all--ambition, glamour . . . and dirty secrets. Missing from the pack is Diana Chesterfield, the beautiful actress who mysteriously disappeared, and there are whispers that Diana's boyfriend—Margo's new co-star—may have had something to do with it. Margo quickly learns that fame comes with a price, and that nothing is what it seems.

Set in Old Hollywood, Starstruck follows the lives of three teen girls as they live, love, and claw their way to the top in a world where being a star is all that matters.


Release Date: 12 March 2013


Surfacing
by: Nora Raleigh Baskin

A lyrical and deeply moving portrait of grief, blame, and forgiveness, and of finding the courage to confront your ghosts — one truth at a time.

As soon as she was under, Maggie heard the quiet, though every sound was amplified in her ears and in her brain . . . Sound, like shame, travels four times faster under the water.

Though only a sophomore, Maggie Paris is a star on the varsity swim team, but she also has an uncanny, almost magical ability to draw out people’s deepest truths, even when they don’t intend to share them. It’s reached a point where most of her classmates, all but her steadfast best friend, now avoid her, and she’s taken to giving herself away every chance she gets to an unavailable — and ungrateful — popular boy from the wrestling team, just to prove she still exists. Even Maggie’s parents, who are busy avoiding each other and the secret deep at the heart of their devastated family, seem wary of her. Is there such a thing as too much truth?


Release Date: 12 March 2013


17 & Gone
by: Nova Ren Suma

Seventeen-year-old Lauren is having visions of girls who have gone missing. And all these girls have just one thing in common—they are 17 and gone without a trace. As Lauren struggles to shake these waking nightmares, impossible questions demand urgent answers: Why are the girls speaking to Lauren? How can she help them? And… is she next? As Lauren searches for clues, everything begins to unravel, and when a brush with death lands her in the hospital, a shocking truth emerges, changing everything.

With complexity and richness, Nova Ren Suma serves up a beautiful, visual, fresh interpretation of what it means to be lost.


Release Date: 19 March 2013
 

Art of Wishing, The (Art of Wishing, #1)
by: Lindsay Ribar

He can grant her wishes, but only she can save his life.

Margo McKenna has a plan for just about everything, from landing the lead in her high school play to getting into a good college. So when she finds herself in possession of a genie's ring and the chance to make three wishes, she doesn't know what to do. Why should she put her life into someone else's hands?

But Oliver is more than just a genie -- he's also a sophomore at Margo's high school, and he's on the run from a murderer. As he and Margo grow closer, she discovers that it will take more than three wishes to save him.

A whole lot more.


Release Date: 21 March 2013


Clockwork Princess (Infernal Devices, #3)
by: Cassandra Clare

Danger intensifies for the Shadowhunters as the New York Times bestselling Infernal Devices trilogy comes to a close.

If the only way to save the world was to destroy what you loved most, would you do it?

The clock is ticking. Everyone must choose.

Passion. Power. Secrets. Enchantment.

Danger closes in around the Shadowhunters in the final installment of the bestselling Infernal Devices trilogy.


Release Date: 19 March 2013
 

Everafter (Kissed by an Angel, #6)
by: Elizabeth Chandler

The sweeping saga of Ivy and Tristan comes to a breathtaking conclusion in this final book of the all-new arc in the New York Times bestselling Kissed by an Angel series.It seems the odds are forever against Ivy and her fallen angel. Tristan is still trapped in the body of an accused murderer, and as the two star-crossed lovers try to clear his name, they must battle the dark forces that would keep them apart and destroy them both. The danger is especially great for Tristan since, as a fallen angel, death would mean losing his soul. It’s up to Ivy to save the one she loves and, hopefully, find a way for the two of the them to be together…for all eternity.


Release Date: 19 March 2013


Fox Forever (Jenna Fox Chronicles, #3)
by: Mary Pearson

Locke Jenkins has some catching up to do. After spending 260 years as a disembodied mind in a little black box, he has a perfect new body. But before he can move on with his unexpected new life, he’ll have to return the Favor he accepted from the shadowy resistance group known as the Network.

Locke must infiltrate the home of a government official by gaining the trust of his daughter, seventeen-year-old Raine, and he soon finds himself pulled deep into the world of the resistance—and into Raine’s life.

Mary E. Pearson brings the story she began in The Adoration of Jenna Fox and continued in The Fox Inheritance to a breathtaking conclusion as Locke discovers that being truly human requires much more than flesh and blood.


Release Date: 19 March 2013


OCD, the Dude, and Me
by: Lauren Roedy Vaughn

With frizzy orange hair, a plus-sized body, sarcastic demeanor, and "unique learning profile," Danielle Levine doesn't fit in even at her alternative high school. While navigating her doomed social life, she writes scathing, self-aware, and sometimes downright raunchy essays for English class. As a result of her unfiltered writing style, she is forced to see the school psychologist and enroll in a "social skills" class. But when she meets Daniel, another social misfit who is obsessed with the cult classic film The Big Lebowski, Danielle's resolve to keep everyone at arm's length starts to crumble.

Release Date: 21 March 2013


Tiger (Dark Eyes, #2)
by: William Richter

A vigilante fights for justice at any cost. Wallis Stoneman isn’t like other teenage girls. She’s beautiful, fearless, and deadly.

Wally lives alone in her Brooklyn loft. She’d be a regular teenager, except that she’s the daughter of a Russian assassin. Crime is in Wally’s blood, but she uses her legacy for good: she solves missing persons cases for the Ursula Society, an under-the-radar organization that uses oft-illegal tactics to find people the police have given up on.

The person Wally most wants to find? Tiger, her own fugitive brother. But the closer Wally gets to finding Tiger, the more dangerous her search becomes. And Klesko, Wally and Tiger’s sadistic father, is again at large. With two highly-skilled con men against them, Wally and Tiger band together to destroy a conspiracy in which they—and their hearts—are mere pawns.


Release Date: 19 March 2013



 MOVIES & TV SERIES (March 12th-22nd)


MOVIES (March 12th-22nd)


Duke
Directed by: Mark Jean

Starring: Steven Weber

Marine Sergeant Terry Pulaski, a once proud man, is now a broken shell of himself having returned from Iraq with both PTSD and a disabling injury. Terry struggles to be a good father and husband, but his challenges leave him feeling like a burden to his wife and daughter. With his dog Duke in tow, he decides to leave his family behind. Years later, a homeless Terry needs help for an aging and ill Duke, so he leaves him in the care of a veterinary clinic. Will Duke be able to help Terry face his demons and reconcile with his estranged daughter?


Release Date: 12 March 2013


First Time, The
Directed by: Jon Kasdan

Starring: Britt Robertson, Dylan O'Brien

Dave, a high school senior, spends most of his time pining away over a girl he can't have. Aubrey, a junior with artistic aspirations, has a hot boyfriend who doesn't quite understand her or seem to care. Although they go to different schools, Dave and Aubrey find themselves at the same party. When both head outside to get some air, they meet. A casual conversation sparks an instant connection, and, over the course of a weekend, things turn magical, romantic, complicated, and funny as Aubrey and Dave discover what it's like to fall in love for the first time.


Release Date: 12 March 2013


Hitchcock
Directed by: Sacha Gervasi

Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren

Oscarr Winners Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren* are spellbinding in this provocative story about the making of one of cinema's most iconic films. Plagued by both a reckless ego and nagging self-doubt, Hollywood legend Alfred Hitchcock (Hopkins) becomes obsessed with a grisly murder story that the studios won't back. Determined, he risks his reputation, his home and even the love of his wife Alma (Mirren), as he sets out to make the film. Ultimately, Hitch wins Alma over, and the two collaborate to create an enduring masterpiece - Psycho. Also starring Scarlett Johansson, Toni Collette and Jessica Biel, Hitchcock is "a knockout from start to finish" (Rex Reed, New York Observer).

Release Date: 12 March 2013


Life of Pi
Directed by: Ang Lee

Starring: Suraj Sharma

Embark on the adventure of a lifetime in this visual masterpiece from Oscarr winner Ang Lee*, based on the best-selling novel. After a cataclysmic shipwreck, young Pi Patel finds himself stranded on a lifeboat with the only other survivor - a ferocious Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. Bound by the need to survive, the two are cast on an epic journey that must be seen to be believed.

Release Date: 12 March 2013


Smashed
Directed by: James Ponsoldt

Starring: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Aaron Paul

Kate (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and Charlie (Aaron Paul, TV's "Breaking Bad" ) are a young married couple whose bond is built on a mutual love of music, laughter and drinking...especially the drinking. When Kate's drinking leads her to dangerous places and her job as a school teacher is put into jeopardy, she decides to join AA and get sober. With the help of her new friend and sponsor Jenny (Octavia Spencer, The Help), and the vice principal at her school, the awkward, but well intentioned, Mr. Davies, Kate takes steps toward improving her health and life. Sobriety isn't as easy as Kate had anticipated. Her new lifestyle brings to the surface a troubling relationship with her mother, facing the lies she's told her employer (Megan Mullaly TV's "Parks and Recreation" ) and calls into question whether or not her relationship with Charlie is built on love or just a boozy diversion from adulthood.

Release Date: 12 March 2013

Pressed
Directed by: Justin Donnelly

Starring: Luke Goss

Brian, (Luke Goss - Death Race 2, Hellboy II) is desperately trying to seek a "quick fix" business deal that will put him back on top financially after being let go from his executive position at one of the top investment firms. Brian decides to go "all in", investing the rest of his savings into a short-term drug deal that would allow him to preserve his high-end life style. When two recluse teenagers unknowingly intercept the illicit drug money hidden in the back seat of a car, Brian s deal is botched. He soon finds himself in a desperate situation as he owes a merciless drug lord the missing money. At the same time the teenagers learn that they've stolen from the wrong people. What follows is a twisted tale of greed, deceit, murder and wealth. In this Crime-thriller, three relationships collide in a fantastic saga where only one will get out alive. 

Release Date: 12 March 2013


Hobbit, The
Directed by: Peter Jackson

Starring: Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman

The adventure follows the journey of title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior, Thorin Oakenshield. Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Sorcerers. Although their goal lies to the East and the wastelands of the Lonely Mountain, first they must escape the goblin tunnels, where Bilbo meets the creature that will change his life forever Gollum. Here, alone with Gollum, on the shores of an underground lake, the unassuming Bilbo Baggins not only discovers depths of ingenuity and courage that surprise even him, he also gains possession of Gollum's "precious" ring that holds unexpected and useful qualities A simple, gold ring that is tied to the fate of all Middle-earth in ways Bilbo cannot begin to know.

Release Date: 19 March 2013


Illegal
Directed by: Ric Dupont

Starring: Shirley A. Rumierk, Luis Bordonada

Set in the sweltering desert of the Southwest U.S., five individuals are portrayed as they struggle with their circumstances. Maribel, a waitress in Juarez, Mexico faces an impossible decision after seven years of failed legal immigration applications. Ariel, an honest and hard-working day-laborer in New Mexico, battles the temptation of higher wages as a drug trafficker. Arturo, working the fields with Ariel must decide where his loyalties lie when he is suddenly pitted against a smooth-talking government immigration officer. Ignacio, a dish-washer in New Mexico, deals drugs to teens in a dead-end town while immigration agents circle in to use him as an entry-way to a Mexican drug cartel. And Chuy, a low-level trafficker of both immigrants and drugs, longs for a way out of his miserable life full of violence and fear.

Release Date: 19 March 2013



Price Check
Directed by: Michael Walker

Starring: Parker Posey, Eric Mabius

Pete Cozy (Eric Mabius, Ugly Betty) is a family man with a home in the suburbs and a mundane job in supermarket pricing. That changes when the unstable and domineering Susan (Parker Posey, Party Girl, Best in Show) takes over as manager and needs Pete to be her right-hand man. Suddenly on the executive track, Pete finds himself spending less time at home and more with Susan as they try to meet her absurdly lofty goals at work. As their personal and professional lives become more intertwined, Pete wonders if he has what it takes to climb the corporate ladder, and if he really even wants to. A wry workplace comedy, PRICE CHECK is an honest examination of how the bitter truths of corporate life tip the scales between dreams and responsibility.

Release Date: 19 March 2013


Rust and Bone
Directed by: Jacques Audiard

Starring: Marion Cotillard,, Matthias Schoenaerts

From the director of the multi-award-winning A Prophet comes a gripping tale of two souls finding strength in each other after tragedy reunites them. Marion Cotillard (Academy Awardr winner, 2007, Best Actress, La Vie En Rose) gives a tour-de force performance as Stephanie, an orca trainer whose life is transformed when tragedy strikes during a show. Faced with unbearable circumstances she turns to Ali (Matthias Schoenaerts, Bullhead), a street boxer fighting his own battle with life-changing events. As their stories intersect, they navigate a gritty relationship in a world where love and courage appear in many forms. 

Release Date: 19 March 2013


Straight A's
Directed by: James Cox

Starring: Anna Paquin, Luke Wilson

Seeking redemption, family outcast Scott returns to his home town only to throw everyone's lives into disarray. This is particularly troubling for his sister-in-law who was once his high school sweetheart. Straight A's stars Ryan Phillippe, Anna Paquin and Luke Wilson in a love triangle that ultimately unites them all.

Release Date: 19 March 2013



Strange Frame
Directed by: G.M. Hajim

Starring: Tara Strong, Claudia Black

This gorgeous animated sci-fi story explores the theme of the transformative power of love between two women. As our story begins it is the 28th century, 200 years after the Great Earth Exodus. We re on Ganymede, one of Jupiter's moons. Our hero Naia is a feisty, young singer-songwriter who falls in love with the beautiful saxophonist Parker. The two embark on their new relationship and also form a band and now they have to not only make it as musicians but also to fight for their freedom. Dramatically rendered in rich, hand drawn animation, Strange Frame brings us into a world of space pirates, indentured slaves and genetic mutations infused with music throughout, to create a dreamlike tale unlike anything you ve ever seen.

Release Date: 19 March 2013


Zero Dark Thirty
Directed by: Kathryn Bigelow

Starring: Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke

For a decade, an elite team of intelligence and military operatives, working in secret across the globe, devoted themselves to a single goal: to find and eliminate Osama bin Laden. Zero Dark Thirty reunites the Oscar winning team of director-producer Kathryn Bigelow and writer-producer Mark Boal (The Hurt Locker) for the story of history's greatest manhunt for the world's most dangerous man.

Release Date: 19 March 2013


Les Miserables
Directed by: Tom Hooper

Starring: Hugh Jackman

Hugh Jackman, Academy Award winner Russell Crowe and Anne Hathaway star in this critically-acclaimed adaptation of the epic musical phenomenon. Set against the backdrop of 19th-century France, Les Mis‚rables tells the story of ex-prisoner Jean Valjean (Jackman), hunted for decades by the ruthless policeman Javert (Crowe), after he breaks parole. When Valjean agrees to care for factory worker Fantine's (Hathaway) young daughter, Cosette, their lives change forever. This enthralling story is a timeless testament to the survival of the human spirit and "an unforgettable experience" (Richard Roeper, RichardRoeper.com). 

Release Date: 22 March 2013


This is 40
Directed by: Judd Apatow

Starring: Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann

From the director of Knocked Up and The 40-Year-Old Virgin comes an unfiltered, comedic look inside the life of an American family. After years of marriage, Pete (Paul Rudd) and Debbie (Leslie Mann) are approaching a milestone meltdown. As they try to balance romance, careers, parents and children in their own hilarious ways, they must also figure out how to enjoy the rest of their lives. Featuring Melissa McCarthy, Jason Segel, Megan Fox, John Lithgow and Albert Brooks, This Is 40 is a candid and heartwarming comedy about the challenges and rewards of marriage and parenthood in the modern age.

Release Date: 22 March 2013





TV SERIES (March 12th-19th)

Ghost Hunters: Season 8, Part 1

Starring: n/a

The TAPS gang returns with more chilling episodes from their hit eighth season. Featured investigations include a haunted amusement park with a restless spirit, a “dead and breakfast” where a family is being tormented by spirits of the previous owners, a 1700s mansion where the owner was murdered by his slaves who were then hanged on the property for their crime, and an old brewery where two sisters are still running the business... from their graves! Get ready to join Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson for some of the most unforgettable episodes of the series, including Grant’s very special farewell episode!! Featured investigations include: Roller Ghoster, Buyer Beware, Flooded Souls, Dead and Breakfast, Moonshine and Madness, City Hell, Frighternity, Ghost of a Marine, Family of Spirits, Haunted by Heroes, Princess and the EVP, Please Sign the Ghost Book. INCLUDES NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN BONUS FOOTAGE! 

Release Date: 19 March 2013


Jersey Shore: Season 6 (Uncensored)

Starring: n/a

In this final season, America's favorite housemates all return to their home away from home in Seaside Heights, NJ. The house dynamic is headed into unchartered territory as their lives outside the Shore take off in exciting new directions. While things are definitely a little bit different this time when the cast hits the boardwalk, their trademark hilarity and family dysfunction remain the same. 

Release Date: 19 March 2013


Mob Doctor: Complete Series

Starring: Jordana Spiro

Dr. Grace Devlin (Jordana Spiro, TV's "My Boys") is a promising young surgeon working in Chicago's most pre-eminent hospital. Still, she can't escape her Southside roots. With her kid brother facing a mobster's wrath, Grace makes a deal and agrees to work "off book" for the infamous Chicago Outfit. As Grace's "day job" forces her to take on emotionally compelling cases - a convict determined to donate his heart to his estranged daughter, a whole family injured in a horrific hit-and-run - she is also forced to deal with mob-related tasks, doing emergency medical procedures in back rooms, treating mobsters hiding from the law and even working on a stolen thoroughbred only hours before he's due to race. Through it all, Grace fights to keep her dual life a secret...except from the one man who knows Grace best - Southside mob boss Constantine Alexander (William Forsythe, TV's "Boardwalk Empire"), whose relationship with Grace is more than it seems. 

Release Date: 12 March 2013


Ripper Street: Season 1 

Starring: Matthew Macfadyen

BBC America's compelling crime drama Ripper Street set in the seething backstreets of Victorian London comes to Blu-ray! Haunted by the failure to catch London's most evil killer Jack the Ripper Inspector Edmund Reid now heads up the notorious H Division - the toughest police district in the East End. Charged with keeping order in the blood-stained streets of Whitechapel Reid and his men find themselves fighting to uphold justice and the rule of law; but always in the background lurks the fear of the Ripper is he back for another reign of terror? Rich episodic storylines meld with the intrigue of a criminal underworld festering on the hard streets of Victorian London following the battle of the men whose job it is to bring the law to the lawless.

Release Date: 12 March 2013